Sweetest Sin
by DaggersBloodPain
Summary: Rin is stolen away by Naraku forcing Sesshomaru to approach his hanyou brother for aid. When Inuyasha accepts his brother's request he unleashes a turn of events so powerful no one knows where it shall lead. Yaoi Yuri Mpreg InuSess KougaMiroku SangoKagome
1. The Hidden Ally

A/N this is not a new story this is from my other account I moved it so i don't forget about it.

**Sweetest Sin**

**Written by: DaggersBloodPain**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha and anything else you recognize. I am just having fun with their creations and promise to play nicely and put them back where I got them. I am making no money off this and it is purely for entertainment no insult was intended.

**Summary:** The Inuyasha group finally admits to needing allies in their fight against Naraku. Who will they ask and what will come out of such alliances? Yaoi and Yuri pairings for the main characters

**Rating**: **strong M** rated for violence, adult situations, descriptions of intimacy, descriptive nudity (nudity without pictures), and language

**Pairings:** I actually have no definite plans for the main pairing I have two options that reader's opinions and the story itself will decide. For main pairing it is either Sesshomaru/Inuyasha Inuyasha/Kouga; side pairings will be Miroku/whichever male is not part of main pairing and Sango/Kagome.

Yes I realize **all the** **pairings I have given you are yaoi or yuri** well there is a reason for that. Simply put I suck at writing het. I am homosexual myself and can not quite write the emotions involved in het, I realize love is the same no matter how it is expressed but the reaction to that love is different and creates a separate atmosphere to the union not present in the other. So to sum it up I am a yaoi/yuri writer I am good at it and I will continue to do so. I warned you this fic would contain yaoi and yuri.

**Note on keeping characters true to themselves**: I know it seems impossible but I intend to keep as much of the characters true personalities present as possible. I am going to twist intentions around but their outward demeanor will not change, well much. (I might need help with the spelling of their names in some cases, feel free to correct any mistakes in names you see)

**General warning**: This story will trully live up to the mature rating. I am not toneing down my writing at all. If you are below age be warned this isnt the story for you. Obviously I cant stop you from reading but please be careful, I don't want you reading something you are not ready for yet.

**Chapter One**

**The hidden Ally**

Their strength was slowly leaving them. Their breath came in harsh, gasping, painful, gulps. Their bodies were soaked with sweat and full of the ache of fatigue. They were in the middle of a battle and the end did not seem near enough.

One by one they succumbed to their fatigue and painful wounds. They just dropped where they had been fighting too tired to move an inch further. Their silver haired leader knew it when one of his companions fell. He could hear their faint heart beats even through the sound of battle so he knew they were alive, for now.

He kept fighting long after the others fell. He protected their prone bodies as well as he could with his own strength failing. Just when he was about to admit defeat, he caught a familiar scent on the wind. He knew he was dead now the person coming towards him was anything but friendly. "Sesshomaru," The hanyou dog demon said softly.

Inuyasha kept fighting even as he felt his older half brother draw near. If Sesshomaru was going to kill him, then he would go down fighting, and protecting the ones he had learned to care for. He felt his brother approach him from behind and was ready for the touch of Tokijin against his throat.

Then Inuyasha got the first surprise in what would become a growing list of them. Instead of cool metal coming in contact with him it was warm flesh. Sesshomaru was pressed to his back and lowered into a fighting stance. He was actually helping him!

Working together the brothers brought down their enemies. The shock of Sesshomaru's appearance had sent a burst of adrenaline through Inuyasha, enough for him to keep fighting with all his strength. Sesshomaru himself was a full blooded demon who had only just now entered the fight. Their opponents had been worn down by the long battle. The two brothers cut them down like wheat.

When the last enemy was vanquished Inuyasha turned to face his brother. "Why are you helping us?" He asked with mistrust lacing his voice.

"I will explain later, right now your companion's heartbeats are slowing you must get them to a safe place and treat their wounds." Sesshomaru's answer was devoid of any feeling.

"Can I trust you not to harm us until I get my answers?" Inuyasha asked harshly.

"A demon Lord never goes back on his word. You will be safe in my presence for now." Sesshomaru explained.

"Then help me with them." Inuyasha said as he went to work reviving his friends.

Sesshomaru repressed a cringe at having to touch humans but he needed his brother's help in an important matter. He helped the young kitsune Shippo, the neko Kirara, and the demon slayer Sango. They were the only ones he could bare to put his hands on, despite her human heritage the woman Sango had proven her mettle to Sesshomaru, he had a grudging respect for the woman who had slain so many of his best warriors. Inuyasha busied himself with Miroku and Kagome they had sustained some grievous wounds.

Soon enough all the wounds were dressed and the group was taking a well deserved rest. The two brothers had made sure they had all awoken at least once before allowing them to sleep. Unconsciousness did not provide adequate rest for their tired bodies.

"Are you going to explain why you are here yet?" Inuyasha finally asked again.

"Naraku has taken Rin and Jaken; I need an ally before I can go after him. I know my own strength I cannot beat that creature on my own. You and your fri..," he nearly choked on the word friend before saying, "companions, are the best bet you have been tracking him the longest and know the most about his strengths and weaknesses. I need your knowledge of him and in return your group gains my strength, I assume it's a fair trade. If it was just Jakken I wouldn't bother but they took Rin too and I am responsible for her safety." Again that entire explanation was said with no change in emotion or expression. Inuyasha could tell the girl meant a lot to his brother for him to swallow his pride and ask him of all people for help.

"How do I know that once we help you get Rin back you won't just turn on us and kill us?" Inuyasha asked gesturing to his friends when he mentioned 'us'.

"You are just going to have to take my word on that." Sesshomaru answered.

"Why did you try to kill us so many times anyway? I am no threat to you as you told me so many times. I couldn't even try to lay claim to father's lands or territories no other demons would listen to a hanyou leader." Inuyasha asked seriously.

"They would listen if you made them listen. Demons are surprisingly easy to control, we respect power, if you could have proven yourself stronger then me they would be forced to except you because you won the title fairly. You are as much of a threat to me as you are then if you were a pureblood." Sesshomaru explained patiently. He could not afford to lose this chance.

"If I am still a threat to you even as I am why are you even considering allying yourself with me?" Inuyasha was genuinely curious about that part.

"Because I made a small miscalculation," Sesshomaru said coming as close as he ever would to saying he was wrong about something. "I had assumed you would be weak and an easy kill, until you took my arm, that was all I thought. When you did that I knew you were a serious threat instead of just a vague one. I have been watching you ever since. How else did you think I knew to come to your rescue? I know now you are no longer a threat." Here he paused as Inuyasha started to turn red with an angry retort balanced on his lips. Noticing this Sesshomaru held up one pale hand. "Not because you _couldn't_ do it but, because you _wouldn't_. You don't want to be a Lord anymore then I want to be a human. You want to be a full demon yes, but not a part of the ruling class." Sesshomaru answered honestly.

"You're almost right with that, but you missed something. Yes it's true I don't want to be a lord too much of a hassle as far as I can see. I do however want to be acknowledged as Inu no taisho's son. I want the title not the power. Do you understand?" Inuyasha softly corrected his brother.

"I understand, brother." Sesshomaru said stressing the word brother. "Will you or will you not help me get Rin and Jaken back?"

"I will help, it is up to the others whether they help us or not." Inuyasha said after some thought.

A/N so what do you think of the first chapter? Remember vote on pairings.


	2. Explanations

this fic will be Inuyasha/Sesshomaru. I want to make something extremely clear before I write another word on this story.

**Please Read! **I do not condone rape of any kind. My very good friend was a victim of incestuous rape. In my stories all relationships are by choice not forced. Again love can take many forms but rape is not about love it's about power. So yes my story will contain incest but no force will be involved it will be voluntary on both sides.

This leaves the pairings as Inuyasha/Sesshomaru, Miroku/Kouga, and Sango/Kagome. Seme listed first uke second.

Chapter Two

Explanations

The wounded companions were next awoken by the sound of steel on steel. They forced open their eyes and to their horror, Inuyasha was fighting with Sesshomaru again. They weren't strong enough to lift their heads up let alone fight so they just had to sit back and watch.

It looked like any other fight at first glance but it was Sango who saw the change. "They are not really fighting." She told the others in a weaken voice. "Look at how they move, something has changed." She explained. The brothers weren't fighting in a rage it just seemed like they were practicing, not actually trying to hurt each other.

Her quiet voice reached Sesshomaru first but soon enough Inuyasha's ears began to twitch listening for that soft sound again. Slowly the brothers stopped fighting. They had been sparring for so long they had to take time to cool down their muscles before they completely stopped or they would ache later on. When they were able they sheathed their swords and moved back over to where the others were resting. Inuyasha could see their plight and he carefully sat each of his friends up in a tight circle. He made sure something was supporting each of them in that position before speaking.

"Good to see your awake." Inuyasha said as he sat down in between where Sango and Kagome were sat up. Sesshomaru just nodded, he was resisting the urge to cringe when he noticed if he wanted to be included in this conversation the only open seat was between Sango and Miroku. He sat gingerly and waited for the inquisition he knew was going to come.

"Why is he here?" Sango asked directing the question at Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru himself answered. "I am in need of assistance and he has agreed to help provided all of you are ok with the arrangement."

"What do you need our assistance of all people for?" She asked.

"Naraku has stolen Rin away from me. I can't take on that bastard alone. My warriors refuse to fight him for a ningen girl. You were my best chance at getting her back quickly enough he doesn't have much chance to hurt her." He answered honestly.

"How do you know he didn't just kill her?" Miroku asked.

"Because if he wanted her dead he would have killed her and been done with the matter. I know he is planning on using her in some fashion I just don't know exactly what that is." Sesshomaru answered evenly.

"Why should we trust you? You can't tell me all those times you tried to kill us were something else, you honestly wanted us dead." Kagome said accusingly.

"You are right, I really was trying to kill you, and nothing would have stopped me from doing it. Now the threat Inuyasha poses to me is less than the threat Naraku has over Rin. We both need assistance to get what we want out of Naraku. It is safe to say I would rather kill Naraku then Inuyasha. A demon Lord never breaks his word, I will not kill you." Sesshomaru explained.

"I never realized Rin meant so much to you, it seems unlike you to care so much about one person." Sango asked again. She had the most experience dealing with demons she knew Sesshomaru's words were the truth.

Hearing that made Inuyasha heave a sigh of relief if Sango was asking questions like that she had already accepted what his half brother had said. Now he had to work on getting the others to approve of this. As much as he hated to admit it, they needed Sesshomaru's strength to help them win. Plus, he didn't want to see the little girl get hurt either. She did not belong in this battle just like any other child.

Sesshomaru's answer to Sango brought Inuyasha back to reality. "I don't, it is not her that is making me do this. I made a promise to keep her safe when I took her in. I can not break that promise to her." Sesshomaru explained, but Inuyasha knew differently.

His brother told the truth, but he had left a part out. He would have never made that promise to the girl unless he cared for her in some capacity. Because a Lord always kept his word they chose their promises carefully making sure they could keep them. He needed Sesshomaru too much to call him on the fib, well for that moment anyway.

"If you are on our side now then why were you two fighting earlier?" Shippo asked having barely followed the conversation.

"We weren't actually fighting, we were practicing." Sesshomaru answered.

"You just wanted a chance to knock me out a few more times." Inuyasha replied.

"If you had accepted my offer of training you may not have ended up in the dirt so many times." Sesshomaru told his brother.

"I don't need training I was doing just fine on my own." Inuyasha snapped back.

"You rely on luck and superior strength in a battle. When you are faced with an opponent stronger or luckier then you, you lose, it's a simple thing." He answered coolly.

"I am still alive so I can't be as bad as you think I am." Inuyasha answered.

"Suit yourself but you better make friends with the dirt you're going to be meeting it a lot." Sesshomaru answered in his dead even tone.

The others were hiding their amusement as the conversation went back and forth between them. They descended further from maturity as time wore on. Any of their number with siblings came to realize it didn't matter how different (or in this case how many times they had tried to kill each other) siblings would always have some form of rivalry. They were a little astonished that despite the childishness of the comments now going back and forth they still wore their normal expressions, Sesshomaru was expressionless and Inuyasha was pink with anger.

"After seeing that I guess we can let him join us." Miroku said gaining nods from the other.

"Now you have no reason to refuse my offer of training." Sesshomaru said to Inuyasha getting back to the original reason the argument started.

"Fine I'll do it. If it will make you happy." Inuyasha snapped back.

Sesshomaru was going to make a retort when Kagome got their attention. "Two jewel shards are coming towards us, fast." She told the brothers.

They simultaneously sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent. "Kouga," they said together.

A/N well what do you think? Is it living up to expectations? Again if you catch any spelling mistakes on their names please correct me.


	3. Revelations From The Wolf Prince

A/N hello again, this chapter brings in the last of the main characters; I am also setting the ground work for the relationships so that the next chapter can begin the actual plot of the story.

**Chapter Three**

**Revelations from the Wolf Prince**

The group watched as Kouga appeared in his usual whirlwind. The three full blooded demons and Inuyasha were the first to realize something was wrong. The scent of blood was heavy on the air, Kouga's blood.

When he finally reached them, and the cloud of dust around him had diminished, they were all aware of the wounds covering the wolf demon. His wounds were pouring blood and his complexion was pale from the loss of too much of that precious crimson liquid.

His expression registered their presence a split second before he passed out. Surprisingly Inuyasha caught him. When he saw the disbelieving looks on his friends faces. "What, just because I don't like him doesn't mean I can't help him. It can't be worse then seeing Sesshomaru not trying to kill us." He said defensively as he lowered the wolf demon to the ground and began examining his wounds.

"They aren't too bad, with his healing abilities he should recover in a few days. Infection might be a problem though, they look like they came from cat demon claws." Inuyasha said as he looked at the four parallel gashes running down his chest.

Sesshomaru came over and inspected the wounds. "The spacing suggests some sort of leopard demon or possibly adolescent tiger. I doubt any adolescent could touch him so I suggest leopard. You are right Inuyasha even full blooded demons can get infection from a cat demon's claws."

"Then help me with him, clean and wrap the ones on his chest, please. I'll be able to get the rest." Inuyasha said taking stock of the injuries.

Sesshomaru picked up the bandages handed to him by his younger brother and set to work with him to get Kouga stabilized. Unlike the humans they had helped previously Kouga's demon blood was able to aid them. His advanced healing powers allowed them to stop the bleeding easier and get them wrapped with less pain inflicted. Soon Kouga was propped up resting with the rest of them.

He regained consciousness quickly. He opened bleary eyes for a moment only to close them a moment afterwards. All his energy was focused on healing his wounds he didn't have much left for anything else. "Thank you," he said quietly quite out of character for him.

They let him rest the remainder of the day. The other injured ones were recovering quickly under the brothers careful ministrations. It would be a while before they would be back to full health but they were on their way to it.

"Inuyasha, where did you learn healing? Why haven't you said anything about it before?" Sango asked as he carefully checked the nasty wound on her lower back.

"It never came up think about it you were always the ones patching me up I never had to heal any of you. As for where I learned it was out of necessity." He answered as he wound a fresh bandage around her back.

"What do you mean when you say you had to learn out of necessity?" Kagome asked.

"You are aware more then anyone else here save Sesshomaru of just how alone I was before Kikyo bound me to that stupid tree. Ever since my mother died I have been on my own. I had to learn to heal myself if I wanted to live. I never thought I would have to use those skills on another person." He admitted.

"Inuyasha how old were you when your mother died?" Kagome asked again.

"Not much older then Shippo, we age slower then humans but if you were to compare I was about 9 or 10." He answered.

"You weren't much more then a pup, I was unbelievably angry with you. Our father died protecting you and your mother only to have her die of a broken heart a few years later. Before that moment I was willing to just ignore your presence, you were being raised as a human and knew practically nothing of our society. Father had to go off on that stupid suicidal mission letting you know of our world, getting himself killed in the process, and when your mother died anyway you became a threat and my enemy." Sesshomaru added in.

"Is that what started this feud? Inu youkai society is either much more complicated then any of the others or you two are fools." Kouga's voice was surprising to every one sitting in the clearing.

"What makes you say that?" Sesshomaru said in his emotionless voice, but no one missed the deadly cast to it.

"In any other demon society I have run across, siblings instead of being pushed apart are pushed together. After all a sibling is only a threat if they want to take over. If they are already ruling jointly there is nothing for them to take they don't already have a claim to, and yes that includes the rare few times a hanyou has been born into a royal family." Kouga explained with a grunt when he pulled at the healing scratches adorning his body.

"You mean I'm not the only hanyou with royal blood?" Inuyasha asked.

"Of course you aren't. Demons and humans have been living on each other's territories for so long a certain amount of interbreeding is expected. Most people assume a hanyou will be weaker than a normal demon. This is because most hanyous take after their human blood more then their demon side. There are not very many who are more demon than human." The young wolf demon responded.

The look of shock on Inuyasha's face was priceless to his usual companions. The half demon was easy to anger but shock was something totally alien. Without a word Inuyasha leapt up into the nearest tree and just started running. Sesshomaru felt him settle on a branch far enough away for privacy but close enough for safety.

"What's wrong with him?" Shippo asked the adults.

Sesshomaru sighed heavily before answering the fox kit. "Inuyasha has spent most of his life running from people calling him a half breed or worse. He has just been told that other hanyous have been born into and accepted by ruling demon clans. How do you think you would feel?" He got up and bound after his brother, he hoped the hanyou wouldn't do anything stupid, they needed him too much.

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Sesshomaru had barely gotten within the sight of Inuyasha before he was pounced on questions pouring from the others mouth in an accusing tone of voice. "Why wasn't I told of this?"

"I was too busy trying to kill you to trouble myself with teaching you anything, and you never were around demons long enough to ask were you." Sesshomaru pointed out.

"I spent my life running from nothing than?" He asked letting a hint of defeat enter his voice.

"Certainly not from nothing, just because hanyous have been accepted before does not mean full blooded demons like them any better. The only reason the ones Kouga spoke of were able to keep their power and lives was because they proved they were worthy of holding the title. I have already told you demons respect power those hanyous proved they held power equal to any pure bred demon." Sesshomaru explained patiently.

"I have to assume responsibility for the reason you were never given the chance. I knew of the past but when I looked at you, at how much you resemble our father who died for you, I was consumed by rage. You weren't old enough to claim your title when father died, and when you finally reached the right age we had been fighting as enemies so long telling you of this would be pointless." He finished off.

"What about when we are finished with this mission? Do we just go back to ignoring each others existence, or do I get my chance to claim my title?" Inuyasha asked with fire in his voice.

"If we both survive I had expected you to want a joint title with me, we rule together unless one of us dies then the other rules. You already said you wanted the name not the power. Well if you stand at my side then you receive the title you want and some of the power you rightfully inherited thanks to the blood running through your veins. It would also help with a little problem I have run into lately." Sesshomaru explained quietly.

"What problem?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.

"My council has been pushing me to produce an heir, there are circumstances preventing that, if you are my joint ruler then you can produce the heirs." Sesshomaru explained.

"What circumstances?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

Sesshomaru actually got a touch of pink in his cheeks for a millisecond before the cold mask dropped back over his features. "I can't father children, I'm a uke." Sesshomaru explained haughtily.

Inuyasha definitely wasn't expecting that. In demon society ukes weren't just the submissive of a sexual partnership they were male demons who had the body chemistry necessary to carry pups but not father them. For a Demon Lord to be a uke it generally ended up in disaster. Lords were extremely picky with mates and the selection for a uke demon was limited to semes that had the ability to beat them. Their bodies would not produce pups to just any seme they must have equal or greater strength then the uke, and Sesshomaru is so powerful finding another male demon who was gay, seme, and stronger than him would be nearly impossible.

"For some reason you never struck me as a uke. I'm sorry but your personality does scream seme." Inuyasha said in answer to his half brother's revelation.

"That's only if you know nothing about demon ukes which I can see you don't. Think about it father gifted me with Tensaiga, a sword of protection and healing. The patience and coldness you are so happy to point out in my personality are necessary for a uke, we must posses those qualities or we can be taken advantage of by semes who think ukes are weak, not unlike the prejudice against hanyous. Our job is to protect the young, and raise them which takes way more patience than most of us assume.

I can also tell you are a natural seme, even if you are a touch immature. You are built for defense and have Tetsusaiga, your hotheaded personality and quickness to anger are necessary for a seme. Your job is to defend your mate and pups, and destroy all threats to you, your lands, and your family." Sesshomaru explained.

"I must ask what your intentions with that miko are? If you chose her to bare your heirs their will be problems. Most hanyous have a similar lifespan to full blood demons but if you dilute the demon blood anymore your pups will not have a long lifespan. I don't think you want to have to outlive your pups and mate by several hundred years." Sesshomaru explained. "I am guessing you haven't told them exactly how old you are have you?" he added on as an afterthought.

"No I havn't told them. How would you explain to a human with a lifespan of no more then a century that you have already lived close to half a millenium? They know I am older then I look because I was pinned to that stupid tree for fifty years and I still look like a human teenager.

Kagome and I were never meant to be. Not long before you joined us we had a long discussion on just that matter. I didn't know then that there might be a place for me in the west so we discussed options. For us to be together she would either have to live like a wild demon in this time or I was to go back with her and become a full human. Either decision would leave one of us losing something important to them.

Plus, when my heats come it isn't females I am drawn to. I have managed to keep both my heats and my tastes hidden from them, but it hasn't been easy. I think they might have some idea that I go into heat simply because there is a certain period of time I routinely disappear. I wasn't sure if they would understand the attraction." Inuyasha confessed.

"You aren't alone otouto," Sesshomaru said quietly.

"So it's common for demons and hanyous to be attracted to members of the same sex?" Inuyasha asked again.

"How do you think uke demons evolved? Yes it is a fairly common thing. I should also say this so you don't go embarrassing yourself if we run into such a pairing at some point. It is common for demons to mate inside their families. It strengthens the purity of the blood line. I know that concept is foreign to humans, the two types of blood react completely different to those situations, in reality hanyous shouldn't exist the blood is too different but somehow it mixes." Sesshomaru explained.

"How would my human blood react to mating with a family member?" Inuyasha seemed bizarrely curious about this subject, but Sesshomaru only had himself to blame for his brother's lack of education.

"It would depend on which side of the family you mated with. I don't suggest mating with any of Izayoi's relatives that would probably not end well, but on father's side you would be fine, your demon blood will protect your pups." He explained again.

"We need to go back and see what the wolf wanted. Can you get yourself pulled together on the trip back?" Sesshomaru stated.

"Yes," Inuyasha replied huffily.

"Then let's go." Sesshomaru stated and began moving through the trees back to where the others were resting. Inuyasha caught up with him and soon enough they were back amongst their companions.

To Sesshomaru's surprise they were already beginning to move around. They were made of tougher stuff than he had given them credit for.

"Kouga what happened to bring you here?" Inuyasha asked no trace of his previous out burst was present in his voice.

"My clan kicked me out with an ultimatum I have to fulfill or I cannot return." He explained, "I was ambushed on my quest to fulfill this ultimatum when I was caught of guard by one of those horrid cat demons."

"What was the ultimatum?" Sesshomaru asked catching something familiar about the wolf demon's story.

"Find a mate or don't come back." Kouga replied simply. "An alpha male can not be without a mate." He finished off in a tone that implied he was impersonating the demon who had delivered the ultimatum.

"What about Ayame? It seems to me she would jump at the chance to be your mate?" Kagome asked.

"She would, I wouldn't, and a female mate is not in my future." Kouga said bluntly.

"What about all those times you came on to me?" she asked indignantly.

"You were the perfect cover. I knew you wouldn't say yes, but saying you were a potential mate kept the pack off my back for awhile." He explained. "I do care for you but I just can't mate with a female."

"Why not?" Miroku asked openly curious bout it.

"For the same reason our dear Lord of the Western lands over there never took a mate." Kouga explained.

The humans in the group were lost but the demons, and Inuyasha, understood immediately. Kouga was a uke too. This was highly unusual for two uke Lords to be born at the same time. It did not bode well for the future of both races if the two males couldn't find adequate mates.

"Well it's obvious you can't travel on your own. Those wounds might have killed you if you hadn't reached us that quickly. You will just have to travel with us, and we can overlook the times you go off looking for a mate. I know you wolves track them by scent." Surprisingly this was Sango speaking.

"Only if the mutt agrees my ears are a bit delicate to keep listening to abuse all day." Kouga answered with a slight grin.

Inuyasha looked at the faces of his companions for their votes and detected something bizarre. The wolf demon was attracting appraising stares, and they weren't coming from the females in the group. To be exact they were coming from one purple robed monk. Seeing that made him curious to know where that would lead. With a huge sigh he answered the wolf. "If I can handle having Sesshomaru with us and not trying to kill us, I geuss I can handle your presence. We could use your speed."

The look on Miroku's face was hilarious, but only if you knew where to look. He was over the moon with the news. The girls observed this change and exchanges small smiles between themselves.

A/N So there it is all characters are now in the story. Relationships will continue to develop from here. I need opinions on whether or not pups should appear heavily in this story or told about in the epilogue? I can write the story either way but I will have to know fairly soon so I can take the story in the right direction for either choice.


	4. Learning The Weapon of Love

**Warnings: Yuri, Violence, Strong Language **(It might be a good time to remind you I am a female homosexual the yuri is probably going to be more explicit then any yaoi I will ever write. The only time I will write from uke point of view is when I am describing the seme no more then that.)

Chapter Four

Learning the weapon of love

It took three days for all the wounds to be healed enough for them to move on. There was still some pain involved but it wasn't more then they could deal with. The uneasy truce between the dog demons and the wolf continued to build. They would never be able to adequately fight with each other instead of against each other if they didn't have a small measure of trust. The brothers had proved during the previous battle they could fight together when necessary but it had to become second nature for all of them.

It didn't help matters that the group was split pretty evenly with strong fighters and not so strong fighters. They could not afford to have half of their number unable to defend themselves if something happened to the others. The solution to the problem presented itself fairly easily. They would pair off and train together to gain both skills and trust in one another. There was nothing better than actually seeing one another's abilities to inspire confidence in them.

The match ups were never openly decided the companions just seemed to gravitate towards the right pairing for them. Sango found herself training with Kagome. Surprisingly the monk and the wolf paired together as well. The brothers had already agreed to train together however reluctantly Inuyasha had been before. Shippo and Kirara were left to watch from the side lines, although the neko did help Shippo out with stealth and tracking. The fire cat had effectively adopted the young fox demon as much as any of the humanoid members of the group had. When the others had time they worked with Shippo so the little demon could defend himself if things went bad as they tended to do around Naraku.

It was a clear but chilly morning, autumn was just around the corner and soon winter would rear its ugly head. The group had found a group of caves suitable for their headquarters while they trained to fight Naraku. Well actually Kouga had led them to it they were on the outskirts of his territory. The surrounding area had everything they needed including a small river with hot springs, and a large open field good for practicing some of their more destructive powers.

Smack… Thwack… Clang… Thud… "Damn!"

"You need to move faster, you have speed as well as strength don't forget it."

"Bastard! You just love this don't you?"

"I'm not the bastard here, and since you asked yes I'm enjoying this. Improve faster and I will enjoy it even more."

"My parents were mated as you well know, and I am improving."

"Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are at it again I'm guessing?" Kouga asked as the sounds from the nearby field reaching his demon enhanced senses indicated the brothers wanted some early morning activity to warm up their blood.

"Yep," Shippo piped up from his place nestled against Kirara.

"How many times has Inuyasha went down this morning?" He asked with a laugh.

"Only three, he really is improving. Do you know how Sesshomaru is doing it? Inuyasha can be incredibly stubborn if he wants to be. And it didn't sound like he wanted to do this in the first place." Miroku said from inside the mouth of their sleeping cave. No one missed the amusement lacing his voice. They all found it hilarious that the hanyou who had bested so many demons before was now being tossed to the ground, regularly.

"Sesshomaru played on Inuyasha's weak point, his pride. He is getting Inuyasha to improve simply by proving to be stronger than Inuyasha. I hate to admit it, but they are actually pretty evenly matched. The only reason Inuyasha loses so much is he lets Sesshomaru's taunts get to him. His anger is the worst thing a warrior can have. He jumps into fights blindly. Once he learns to control himself Sesshomaru might find himself meeting the dirt a few times as well." Kouga said in answers to Miroku's comment about the hanyou improving.

"Well monk ready for another spar? I think those two have the right idea we don't have much time before we have to go to Naraku and get the girl." Kouga asked. Miroku didn't answer he just dragged himself from his comfortable position and followed the wolf demon out of the camp.

"Sango, do you think we should practice some too, after I get Shippo fed of course?" Kagome said from where she was tending to a simmering pot of soup she was preparing for the group.

"Sounds like a good idea. Do you need any help with that?" Sango asked.

"Could you pass the salt and pepper, this could use a little more of both?" Kagome asked and the two girls finished preparing the soup. "Go on you, have something to eat. We will be back soon with the others. Kirara can you keep an eye on him?" Kagome said to the two demons dozing in the morning sun.

It didn't take two seconds before Shippo was up attacking his food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Kirara nodded her head to the miko and followed the demon staying far enough away to avoid the droplets of broth Shippo was producing as he ate. She took up sentry on a nearby rock outcropping that gave her a good view of the surrounding area and any other possible danger.

The two women followed the trail of the men to come to the field. They claimed a section for their own use and began practicing their aim with their respective weapons. Targets had been set up by them on previous trips to the field all they had to do was try and hit them. Out of the corner of their eyes they were able to watch the other two pairs practicing.

There was a cloud of dust that must have once been Miroku and Kouga. Miroku was using his wind tunnel trying to capture Kouga while he used his speed to avoid it. The girls could tell Miroku was nervous about this exercise his other hand was constantly at the ready to put the binding prayer beads back over the hand if Kouga wasn't fast enough. They all knew this was Kouga's way of getting the monk to feel comfortable using his gift/curse. It was only a weapon if it could be controlled and always before this the fear controlled the monk in its use.

To the right of Miroku and Kouga, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were sparring. They could see the transformed Tetsusaiga clash with Tokijin over and over again. It really was true the brothers' strength was evenly matched. They saw Sesshomaru speak but weren't close enough to hear what he said, but it had to be something pretty bad because it caused Inuyasha to charge forward in rage. A quick move by Sesshomaru and they actually heard Inuyasha yell, "Fuck!"

He had met the dirt… again. He was really beginning to dislike this training nonsense. Of course he was too proud to admit he had gotten better. It took Sesshomaru longer every match to get Inuyasha into a rage. He was thrown to the ground a lot less often than in the beginning but still it hurt damn it!

"We should get their attention its getting late and I don't think they have eaten yet." Kagome said to the older woman after a few hours of practice. The sun was reaching its pinnacle meaning the hour was near noon.

"I think your right, especially Inuyasha and Sesshomaru I don't know how long they have been going at it. Miroku and Kouga can't be fairing much better its taking a lot out of them to do that." Sango answered.

When the girls finally got the males attention they headed back towards the cave where food was waiting for them. Kirara was in the same place she had been when Kagome and Sango left. Shippo was napping, again, in the shade of the caves. They all ate their meal quickly but not quite as messily as Shippo.

"Inuyasha we are running low on some supplies. I think the rest of the stocks can hold out for awhile Kaede was generous, but we are nearly out of meat." Kagome said as they finished up the soup.

"W hat do you think Sesshomaru, Kouga are you two feeling up to a hunt?" Inuyasha asked the other two canines.

"I could use the chance to stretch my legs out in my other form," Sesshomaru answered in the affirmative.

"I could use the chance as well." Kouga also answered.

"I didn't know you had another form?" Miroku asked the wolf demon.

"Most full blooded demon's do. I don't know enough hanyous to know if they have other forms or not." He answered.

"Do you think you could transform Inuyasha?" Kouga asked him.

"I haven't tried I always assumed I wouldn't be able to." Inuyasha said. "I do undergo a partial transformation when I am parted from Tetsusaiga but I go mad with blood lust I don't think it is a same thing."

"That actually depends on something Inuyasha, do you control your demon half or does it control you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked his stoic older brother.

"He basically asked if you fear it or give in to it completely, both of those options will cause even a pure blood demon to go into blood lust if the situation calls for it. It sounds to me like all you need to learn is control." Kouga said giving information to the hanyou now that he wouldn't have even dreamed of saying before this truce occurred.

"I can try to help you with that as well, it would be useful if we had another demon able to transform in the group." Sesshomaru said dismissively sounding almost bored about a prospect that was completely shocking Inuyasha.

He would have to have a discussion with his half brother about that it seemed as if every time he turned around Sesshomaru was delivering yet another shocking surprise. He wondered if it was a deliberate thing or if Sesshomaru assumed Inuyasha already knew these things when he didn't have the chance to learn.

"Well if we want to go hunting tonight I suggest we get as much practice in as we can today. I don't think we can wait much longer than a week before we have to go after Rin." Inuyasha said to cover the awkward moment.

"I agree lets go." Sesshomaru answered for the rest of the group rising gracefully and following Inuyasha they returned to their spot in the clearing.

The other adults followed suit and returned to their earlier pursuits. Shippo woke up just as they were leaving and was able to convince Kirara to carry him to the edge of the field so he could watch. She only let the demon onto her back because she knew her mistress and friend was out there where Shippo wanted to go.

He was closest to where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were at and what he saw surprised him. He saw Inuyasha place Tetsusaiga carefully on the ground and take off the red fire rat haori and the creamy undershirt. It looked to Shippo like he was planning on doing something that he didn't want to go through the hassle of fixing the clothing afterwards.

Inuyasha then straightened back up and faced his older half brother who had also removed his upper clothing leaving him bare chested. Both brothers were heavily muscled but it was lean in quality leaving them with smooth yet rock hard limbs and chiseled abs. Even the loss of his arm could not detract from the almost feminine beauty that was Sesshomaru, and the hanyou, though slightly more masculine in appearance, rivaled him in looks just as he rivaled him in strength.

They were going to practice controlling their demons, well Inuyasha was. Sesshomaru was going to be ready to transform just in case Inuyasha lost control. The only problem was Inuyasha had never transformed before unless his life or the life of his friends were in danger. They didn't know if he could call the transformation if he tried, or if they would have to fight to get his youkai to come out and play.

Sesshomaru carefully coached Inuyasha on how to reach his inner demon. When Inuyasha finally felt what Sesshomaru had been describing it was unusual to say the least. It felt as though there was a creature chained within him straining at its bounds. He described the feeling to Sesshomaru who knew what the problem was.

"Inuyasha your mind has trapped the demon within you. You fear it don't you, or more likely you fear what you would do if the beast was unchained. Remember stay in control bend it to your will. Our father was one of the strongest demons of his era use the strength within your blood. Call to the creature, become its master." He said evenly. He circled his brother as he whispered those words into the two furry ears on the top of his head.

Inuyasha relaxed and did as he was instructed. At first when he released the demon inside him it felt like any other time he had transformed. He smelled the blood pumping strongly through many veins and he wanted it.

Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha's eyes turned red and a jagged stripe appeared on each check and for the first time marking appeared on the hanyou's body. His claws and fangs lengthened into deadly tools of destruction. He saw his brother slowly lose the battle over the demon as all emotion was wiped from his features. "Fight it Inuyasha it can not harm anything if you control it." he said over and over again into the hanyous ears.

Sesshomaru's voice broke through to Inuyasha by some stroke of luck. He started fighting again regaining some control over himself, enough to keep him from hurting his friends but not enough to stop himself wanting to do it. He struggled with the demon for a while longer until his body was drenched in sweat. He was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life.

Finally he felt something being thrust into his hands, Tetsusaiga. With the sword back in his possession the demon retreated back to its cage for now and Inuyasha was left sprawled in the dirt panting like the dog he was.

"You did well Otouto, you will need to practice more. Maybe it would help if we weren't so close to other things. After the hunt tonight I suggest we go further down the cave system and practice out of the way of every one else." Sesshomaru said as he let Inuyasha catch his breath.

"I think you're right this time. I almost lost it several times. I couldn't bare it if I hurt any one of the group. Are you sure you even want to be around when I do this?" Inuyasha asked once he had cooled the burning pain in his lungs some.

"I have to be, I am the only one who knows enough about Inu Youkai to help you control your demon. Plus I know how to fight you if you do succumb to your demon. The others don't have that luxury. I wouldn't be surprised if Kouga could subdue you but I wouldn't bet on it either. You have improved remarkably we just have to work on that temper of yours." Sesshomaru said all this in a low voice like he was talking to himself more then he was telling it to Inuyasha.

"Then what are we waiting for let us grab Kouga and go hunting for the camp then we can move out and practice." Inuyasha said decisively. Sesshomaru just followed the hanyou shaking his head imperceptivity, since when was Inuyasha an alpha?

They interrupted Kouga and Miroku's practice to go off hunting. Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, the two full blooded demons shifted gratefully into their larger more imposing forms. Inuyasha took the time to look each of them over to memorize their shapes.

Sesshomaru was as imposing as ever as the great silver dog. He didn't even appear to be hindered in the slightest by the loss of his foreleg. He was just as agile as ever but it had been two years since that incident he had plenty of time to practice without it. He was a beautiful humanoid demon but his dog form was an exceptional show of good blood. His silver coat shone beneath the moon light radiating back the beautiful rays. Hidden within the silver were the demon marking adorning his body solid stripes of blue colored fur denoted these markings. His eyes had turned crimson with the release of his youkai.

Kouga was every bit as striking but he was the darkness to Sesshomaru's light. His black fur seemed to absorb every ray of light the moon bestowed on him. He carried his own demon markings as stripes of deep red. He was able to cover the markings on his humanoid body with the clothing he wore. This allowed him more freedom of movement in human society then Sesshomaru who had his markings on his face for everyone to see. He was also slightly bigger than the dog demon with ears and muzzle more pointed.

Inuyasha heard a few deep growls interspersed with yips and barks coming from Sesshomaru. Surprisingly he understood it and figured it must be Inu Youkai language.

"Try to transform beneath the moon see what will happen." Was what the demon dog was saying.

"I'll try," Inuyasha managed to hide his shock when that came out as a series of yips. He had left Tetsusaiga at the camp figuring he wouldn't need it. There was nothing stopping him from getting to his inner demon so with that thought in mind.

He closed his eyes and dug down within himself to the place he had been earlier that day. He found the creature their but it was altered from the earlier battle. It seemed to have a more definite shape instead of just a feeling of power and strength. Instead of releasing all the bounds on his demon at once he released it one mental chain at a time letting himself become adjusted to the influx of power flowing through his body. He harnessed the strength building in his blood. His instincts carried him through the rest of the changeover. He directed that power to his physical body instead of just in his mind. With that happening the dog demon within him began to change the human body into its own likeness.

Kouga and Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha struggled to let the change happen slowly. They both remembered their first transformation. The demon within them was fighting the feeling of being trapped. It did not yet know how to coexist with the humanoid body. This just meant that the first few transformations and the virgin one in particular was incredibly painful. From what their memories told them the hanyou was taking it remarkably well when only a small whimper escaped his lips.

Slowly his arms and legs shifted until he was down on for legs his hands and feet converting to paws. His face and body was shifting at an incredibly slow rate. His muzzle pressed out, teeth lengthen and sharpened, as his chest deepened and his back curved to accommodate the now growing tail. Fur started to sprout and cover this new body as his total size increased. Soon he was lying on his belly catching his breath for the second time that day.

He was too tired for the moment to take stock of his new form but the other two were surprised. For starters Inuyasha was big, bigger then Sesshomaru and rivaling Kouga. His muscle and bone structure was heavier then Sesshomaru making him the bigger demon in both height and breadth. His coloring was snow white rather than Sesshomaru's silver. He even had the two turquoise stripes on his muzzle and four traveling down the back of his neck running down his spine until about the middle of his back where they split off two going down each side only to meet back together on his stomach. Each of his paws was encircled with a ring of turquoise making it look like he was wearing bracelets. His eyes were had also turned crimson but this time there wasn't a hint of madness in those eyes. This really was Inuyasha completely transformed for the first time.

He finally caught his breath and was able to inspect his new form. He found he loved the feeling of power waiting to be unleashed from within his heavy muscles. He wanted to run and he didn't feel the need to stop himself. Growling out his intentions to Sesshomaru he fled the clearing where they had transformed. He found out that running on four legs wasn't as easy as he thought it would be especially when there was the tail to consider. It threw him off balance more often then not until he learned to use it as a counter balance. By that time he felt like he was flying over the earth his paws touched the ground so little.

In the fast lope he had started up there was a period of time during each stride when all four paws rose off the ground at the same time and it was in those moments that Inuyasha truly flew. After a solid hour of just running he finally slowed his pace and remembered why they were out in the first place.

Sesshomaru and Kouga were not far behind Inuyasha, so they caught up with him quickly. When Inuyasha saw them he let out one long howl. It was a sound full of jubilation and triumph, as well as the call to hunt. The other two were not sure if Inuyasha was aware that by calling the hunt and if other answered his call and followed him he was declaring himself the alpha of a pack. Before this point in time their little pack had been without a definite alpha.

Kouga already held the title of alpha to his own pack and therefore couldn't challenge for leadership of this one. Sesshomaru was the only other demon capable of challenging Inuyasha and he found himself backing down. His body was a uke and the mindset that went with that told him not to become the alpha male of a pack.

His demon had a strong wish to pass on its genes just like the many generations before it. If he was an alpha no other Youkai would be strong enough to father pups on him. The seme had to be stronger then him it was just how his body worked wanting the best pups, demons were very picky when it came to mates. His inner demon was forcing him to submit to his younger, half human brother. He thought he should be incredibly angry at this turn of events but found he didn't mind it as much as he should have.

With these thoughts pacifying both halves of himself Sesshomaru let Inuyasha lead the hunt and claim the status of alpha. If he was truly honest with himself he already knew Inuyasha was destined to be an alpha. All the parts of his personality including his anger were exactly what an alpha needed. He still had problems controlling these emotions but when he did his brother would become one hell of an alpha. This though made his inner demon nearly start to purr leaving Sesshomaru confused as to what it could mean.

The three demons continued to hunt long into the night. Several deer were unwise enough to cross their path were brought down. It would be plenty to last them until they had to find Rin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **Yuri Warning **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three demons had just left the camp when Sango saw Kagome rummaging through one of her bags. "What are you looking for Kagome?" She asked curiously.

"My soap and shampoo I thought it might be nice to take a bath without worrying about the guys watching me." Kagome explained, directing a quick glance over to Miroku who was already fast asleep from the hard day of training.

"Mind if I join you?" Sango asked.

"Of course not," Kagome replied as she finally found the missing items at the very bottom of the bag. They walked down to the hot springs in silence drinking in the beauty of the night around them. Undressing they were able to fully see the damage the many battles had left on the body of the other.

When the warm water ran over them hiding the numerous scars from view they started talking.

Sango was leaning back against one of the rocks at the edge of the pool when she felt Kagome come towards her. The younger woman sat down next to her resting her back on the same rock. Then Kagome asked a question. "Sango, exactly how old are you?" She asked curiously. The woman bore more scars on her then most of the group combined.

"I am twenty years old, why do you want to know?" Sango asked opening her eyes enabling herself to look at Kagome.

"You were only eighteen when you joined us? How did you learn to fight so well so fast?" Kagome asked more questions despite Sango's question. Sango actually looked at Kagome and realized they had all over looked something about the miko. She had done a lot of growing up in the two years they had been searching for the shikon jewel shards.

"You were only fifteen then and look how much you were able to learn in just two years. I learned in basically the same way I just started training sooner. I was only eleven when I begged my family to teach me the art of demon slaying. I have been learning and practicing ever since then. I am glad I did. If I had waited until the usual age of 16 to learn the art I would not have been strong enough to survive until now and possibly gain revenge for my lost tribe and family." Sango said as Kagome began lathering her own hair with the shampoo. She was struggling a bit with it. Her worst wound from the battle had been a deep cut to her shoulder it still gave her trouble when she had to reach up higher then shoulder level.

Seeing Kagome in pain Sango silently took the bottle from Kagome's hands and commenced helping the girl wash her waist length hair. Kagome couldn't believe how good this simple act felt to her. She heaved a small sigh of pleaser at the feelings coursing through her at Sango's touch.

Sango was completely startled by the next question. "Sango why is it you never react to Miroku's, or any other males for that matter, affections?"

Sango was not really sure it was a good time to answer that question. She knew the answer to it, but also knew it wasn't a commonly accepted thing among their kind. It was an awkward kind of place for this answer if Kagome reacted badly; Kagome _was_ practically sitting in her lap. Then Sango thought about Kagome's reaction to her touch so decided to take a chance.

"Because I have never been interested in males, there was a point in time when I was in love with the **idea** of being with a male, but I have gotten over that idea." She answered quietly.

Sango was glad to see Kagome wasn't flipping out… yet. She also saw the brewing questions on the young woman's face. "Is um… well… is that kind of thing common?" Kagome asked her face turning beet red. That let Sango knew she might be correct in her thinking.

"Among demons, very common, but not among humans, I grew up around both demons and humans. I saw how the demons behaved and didn't think anything wrong of it. That was until I was about 14 and two boys in my village were found to be in a romantic relationship. They weren't kicked out or anything like that but they weren't welcome either. They were outcasts among their own kind. When I began to realize I looked at men and woman differently then the other girls my age I hid it. I didn't even admit it to myself that it was the case. That is the time period I mentioned about falling in love with the idea of being with a man." Sango explained.

"Why tell me now?" Kagome asked breathlessly unconsciously leaning back against Sango.

"You did ask, and with so many demons who love the way I do around I felt safe enough to say something, besides I think I am not the only one like this here am I?" Sango asked.

"No you are not," Kagome said going red again.

"One thing I don't get is why you were always pinning after Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"Didn't you figure it out already? Inuyasha is homosexual. I figured that out very soon after I met him. He never said anything about it but I could still tell. I knew he wouldn't say yes to me so I was safe. I never wanted anyone to find out. It isn't accepted much more in my time then here. How did you know?" She asked softly as she leaned back further.

"I just learned what to look for. It is fairly simple to find that out about someone. I am surprised you didn't say anything to me sooner although I understand why you didn't if you were protecting your own secret." Sango replied as she started washing her own hair.

Kagome decided to return the favor and helped Sango, getting a surprise at gaining a nearly identical sigh escaping from the demon slayer. She didn't know what caused that reaction but something about the combination of the special attention being paid to you and the pleasurable touch caused the body to react strongly.

Rinsing out the shampoo from their hair they cleaned the other off caringly. The sharing of secrets had brought them ever closer together. The gentle caresses and lingering touches were intoxicating to the senses. They finished off their bath by carefully drying each others bodies with the soft towels they had brought down with them.

The addicting, beautiful, slightly tense, atmosphere was shattered by a deep howl. It was filled with pure jubilation and pride. "That isn't Sesshomaru I would know his howl anywhere." Sango said.

"Then it's probably Kouga." Kagome said dismissively snuggling closer into Sango's side.

"No that's an Inu's voice, the two dialects are very different. I wouldn't worry about it you know those three wouldn't have gone far." Sango said reassuringly holding Kagome closer.

Kagome was finding Sango's sweet scent almost unbearably sensitizing. She didn't know Sango was experiencing the same feelings. Sango could feel Kagome's body tense as she held her and was able to distinguish the cause.

"You are not alone anymore Kagome," She whispered and pressed a single light kiss to Kagome's forehead.

The younger of the pair gasped at he feeling and turned her face up a few inches to look into Sango's eyes. Cautious to the point of being achingly slow the two moved together although they could never recall afterwards having to think about moving. Their lips met in a chaste kiss the first time. Drawing apart once more Sango's eyes were filled with serene contentment and Kagome's with pleasant surprise and a slight hint of… anticipation.

The next kiss wasn't so innocent and it sent more shock waves of feeling down Sango's spine. She could feel the innocence in Kagome's kiss but she could also sense the building fire within the younger woman's eyes. Sango was willing to go as fast or as slow as Kagome needed and it looked like slow was not going to be an option.

The next kiss Sango began to dominate the exchange. Kagome wasn't complaining this turn of events. There was one heart wrenching moment when Sango slowly slid Kagome's body towards the ground. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and fear shown in her eyes. Sango was backing away when she felt Kagome's arms pulling her down more. Never breaking the kiss Kagome was able to show Sango the fear was not directed at her.

Sango just let her eyes drink in Kagome's pale flesh before doing anything else. The woman's chest was heaving with unchecked passion. Her dark hair was still damp and surrounded her face like a halo. Her eyes were glazed with the amount of sensations running through her body. Kagome was blessed with a body that curved in all the right places. She had developed some decent muscles in their quest for the shards, so her body was now soft to the eyes but smooth and firm to the touch. The pale skin held a few scars and nearly healed wounds.

Sango knew she was looking at beauty personified if only she knew that Kagome was observing her in the same way. Her body was more heavily muscled then Kagome's the defined muscles clearly visible underneath her skin. Her skin was crisscrossed with scars both old and new. She was lithe and graceful, her body lean and softly curved. Her dark hair reached her hips and now shielded the lovers like a curtain. Her eyes were focused on Kagome making sure she was doing everything possible to make this a beautiful time for the young woman.

Knowing she was taking up too much time just looking Sango leaned down again and kissed Kagome with more fire and passion than you could ever hope to experience. It was returned with joy. Sango wound one hand into Kagome's and used the other to turn Kagome into a puddle of sensations.

Sango could sense the building heat within the miko and continued with what she had been doing at a slightly faster pace. That's when Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango running her fingers lightly across the demon slayers back. Her pale legs found themselves around Sango's back.

Sango felt the waves of her own passion building to a crescendo at the same rate as Kagome, the woman beneath her making small cries, beautiful moans, and a myriad of other satisfying sounds. These soft sounds of encouragement were all that Sango needed to bring both their passions to the pinnacle.

The afterglow of the first eruption was strong enough to still both of them for a long moment Kagome wrapped tightly in Sango's arms. They continued to make each others bodies sing long into the night, their passions getting fiercer as time went on. Neither of them noticed that a few of the healing wounds on both of them had begun to break open again, filling the air with the scent of their mixed blood.

Not long before dawn they finally rose from where they had been making love and rinsed off once more in the hot springs. Dressing quickly they ran back to the caves hoping their activities had not attracted attention, namely from one lecherous monk.

A/N wow this is one long chapter for me, but then again I am probably the only writer on fan fiction that has ever gotten yelled at for a chapter being too long! It was on my other account a single chapter contained 15 thousand words. This one has a little over six.

Anyway this would have been out a little sooner but I managed to burn my hand over the knuckle making it kind of hard to type.

The yuri scene could have been more explicit but I am risking my account with just the amount there any more and I know I would get in trouble. Anyway I don't actually know how old Sango is so I made it up, and I made the quest for the shards last two years for a reason.


	5. Unexpected Warmth

A/N ok here we go a bit of yaoi to keep you going. Sorry no inusess just yet but don't worry two or three more chapters and you'll have all the sweet dog demon yaoi you could want. Now I want to make something clear. The only reason I said the yuri would be more explicit is because I know it better and am willing to take more risks. There are not enough decent Yuri stories out there I took more chances writing that scene than I will for yaoi, on this site at least. If you want to read the full version with the uncensored sex scenes you'll have to visit my account on adult fan fiction, which there is a link in my profile for your convenience. I must say that you can not access the site if you are under 18 so minors don't even try. You shouldn't even be here but I can't stop you fortunately they can.

**Note:** in this story a few people will not be acting like they do in the show. I promised you I would attempt to keep them as in character as possible and I think I am keeping my promise. I am using what I know of their personalities to make them react to the situation I have given them as in character as possible for the story line which nothing like this has been on the show so who can truly say how they would react in this situation? Don't worry they will go back to their (mostly) normal selves once certain events subside.

(I also want to apologize before hand that my writing style in this chapter might not be the same in the beginning. I have been on an HP kick and I write those stories so differently from this one it is a very noticeable difference, well to me it is anyway, the characters reactions and thoughts are still in character (for this story) this just has a different spin on it I hope its alright and no one is too disturbed by the abrupt change.)

Chapter Five

Unexpected Warmth

The three demons returned to their caves just in time to see the sun rise above the horizon. Each of them carried one of the deer slung across their shoulders. The thrill of the hunt and subsequent kill still sung through their veins. They were still a few miles away from the main cave when they caught a strange scent on the wind. It took Inuyasha less then a minute to work out why the smell seemed familiar yet not.

"Something is wrong here probably another attack that is Kagome and Sango's blood, it's just mixed together." He explained hastily as he picked up the pace covering the intervening distance as quickly as he could. He was dreading what they would find upon returning to the cave.

When he saw the two women safely snuggled in their sleeping bags he heaved a sigh of relief before anger started flooding his veins in counterpoint to the adrenaline.

"What happened?" He asked them as he shook them awake roughly. "Why is the air thick with your mixed blood?" He kept his temper in check just enough to keep from adding insults onto the end of his questions but not one missed the anger mixed with fear in his voice.

"We were taking a bath and some of the newer wounds broke open again." Sango explained showing the anxious demons were she had rebandaged their wounds.

Inuyasha took another deep sniff of the air not knowing exactly what he was looking for but looking anyway. It was then he noticed that Kagome and Sango were still completely coated in each others scent. He looked each woman over to see if they had missed any injuries when he saw them. Small bruises littered the soft flesh of their necks and more were present disappearing below their clothing.

His eyes widened comically for a second when the truth hit him, but all he managed to say was, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Neither girl missed the reference to their appearance. Kagome blushed a beautiful deep red. Sango managed to keep a straight face and she was the one to answer Inuyasha's question. "Because there was nothing to tell before, this is as new to us as it is to you." She answered simply. She _had_ grown up around demons she knew they wouldn't come to any harm over this in present company.

Nothing further was said on the subject because no further discussion was necessary. Mating in demon society was a highly respected and private affair. As long as no force was involved and both parties were content with the arrangement the couple would receive no further comments on their life together, unless they sought out that advice of course. It also helped that Miroku was still asleep and had missed the whole exchange. He was the wild card of the bunch none of them had any idea how the perverted monk would take the news both women he was traveling with were taken, and it was with each other!

When the monk finally did wake up Sango brought him to the side of the cave furthest away from prying ears. She knew she couldn't stop the demons from hearing the conversation but she could give Miroku at least the illusion of privacy when he learnt the news.

His reaction shocked her. Not with his vehemence but lack there of. He got a forlorn look on his face for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and pulling Sango into a hug. She was pleasantly surprised that his wandering hand stayed around her waist this time.

"Thank you Sango, you have no idea how much easier you just made things for me." He whispered in her ear as to not attract the attention of the demons he just knew were hovering near by to make sure he didn't hurt Sango over this.

Sango noticed Miroku staring obviously at a single point in the cave and when she looked in the same direction she realized Miroku just happened to be staring at their resident wolf demon. "Go for it, but you're going to have to dominate him. He is a uke he will not accept you until you beat him at something, and that's much easier to do when he goes into heat he will be easier to distract then." She whispered back very quickly. She knew it was a bad idea to interfere too heavily in the mating of demons but Miroku needed to know these things if he even stood a chance.

"How will I know he is in heat?" Miroku whispered back.

"He will get literally hot to the touch and he will feel like he has a bad fever. If you see him sweating for no reason or removing layers of clothing then it's a good bet he is in heat." Sango answered and she broke off the hug knowing if they stayed like that any longer the demons watching would be suspicious of them.

"Thank you for understanding Miroku." She said loudly enough for her voice to carry to the demons but not so loud it would be clear she was doing it only for their benefit.

"You don't have to thank me." He answered her and they both moved back over to the others who all bore some sort of shock on their faces.

"Miroku why are you not flipping out? I was sure you would be angry you have been going after Sango for so long." Kagome asked quietly Kouga and Inuyasha had been telling her the conversation so she could be prepared.

He sighed knowing he had to tell the truth now, he sucked at lying, and someone would call his bluff. "Kagome I can't get mad at you two for being similar to me." He answered simply.

"You want to be a little clearer on that." She asked again.

"Kagome, I am one of those people who like both females and males. I was just never able to act on it, my family has drilled into me from a young age that I have to produce children and male humans can't, so I went after every female there was. I would have been faithful to Sango had she said yes to any of my advances but she didn't so I went on looking." He answered as honestly as he could.

What the others didn't notice was that one member of their little group was not paying attention to the conversation at hand. He had gotten a touch distracted by other things. Like the fact the midmorning sun was beginning to bake him. He knew this was not a good sign, it was too late in the year for the sun to be that warm. Which could only mean one thing, his heat was coming. 'Perfect timing' he thought to himself. Knowing he wouldn't come out of heat until a month had passed or until he mated and was carrying pups. He would be a beacon to any seme demon not part of his immediate family or already tied to another.

He moved closer to the only other silent companion to explain the problem. "Sesshomaru my heat is coming on. I don't know how far off it is but I may not be able to come with you to get Rin, I would be a danger to the mission." He explained to the silver haired Inu youkai.

"No more so then me," was his only reply and Kouga knew they were in the same situation.

"What's causing this, I shouldn't be going into heat until further into the winter, something has to be triggering it. Do you think it is Naraku's doing? Is he trying to slow us down or maybe trying to get us captured?" Kouga asked. They may not look it but Sesshomaru was close to a thousand years older then Kouga, he knew more about the process then Kouga did.

"No, this isn't Naraku's doing no single being is powerful enough to bring on a heat cycle. I think it has more to do with the fact we have been working closely with semes. Our youkai's are reacting to the chance presented to them by bringing on an off season heat." Sesshomaru answered showing he had way more patience with Kouga then he did with Inuyasha. His nature made him overly protective of any demon younger then him that wasn't a dominant. Kouga fell into that category.

"Why are both of us going into heat? I thought Inuyasha was the only seme here strong enough to be a chance for our demons? I haven't been close enough to him for my youkai to know." He asked again.

"I thought the same thing until I heard what that monk just said. He is a seme as well. I never gave that human a thought before. I just assumed he was human and that was that. I overlooked the fact he is powerful in his own right. He honestly could be powerful enough to dominate one of us if luck is on his side." Sesshomaru explained.

"What actually happens if a human mates with a demon?" Kouga asked knowing Sesshomaru was probably the only demon still alive who knew the answer Izayoi and Inu no Taisho were the last known demon human mating and that was over half a millennia ago.

"If it is a true mating, with both parties completely committed to each other the life span of the demon is bequeathed to the human. Their life is completely linked, when my father died Izayoi could only live out the remainder of her human life span then she would die, even though she had lived for one hundred years without ageing a day when my father was alive." He explained.

"Inuyasha was only a hundred years old! He can't have been more then a pup. How could he mature that quickly, he shouldn't be as developed as he is?" Kouga said with slight concern.

"You are right of course he wasn't much older then a pup, look at Shippo and he is only fifty years younger then what Inuyasha was. The wild took its toll on Inuyasha. His mind and body were forced to mature too quickly. His control over his emotions is the only hint to how old he actually is. He is far from being a pup now. He is as fully developed as you or me." Sesshomaru answered.

"Does he know it's unusual for someone his age to be as mature as he is?" Kouga asked.

"He knows enough to not let anyone know how old he is. He hasn't even told the humans. I don't even know his exact age. Izayoi was hidden from all other demons after she mated my father, before he was born." Sesshomaru informed him.

"When we split up this week, how hard is it going to be to remain in control through our heat with both semes so close to us?" Kouga asked a bit ashamed to admit he knew little to nothing about being a Uke. It was unusual but not unheard of for a demon to be a uke, but for wolf's it was rare to the point of being a myth for one of their own to be one. With their alpha male being a uke it did not bode well for the future of wolf demons.

"It doesn't sound like you have had much experience denying your youkai what it wants. I don't know how you will react to being alone with one of them, just the same I have never been around a seme worthy of attention from my youkai." Sesshomaru's stoic form of speech kept his comments dry, similar to the type of thing you would read out of a text book.

The dry rendition of facts was the only thing letting Kouga question the other demon without becoming embarrassed about his lack of knowledge. It was the same difference as talking to your brother or your uncle about things.

"How long does a uke carry their pups?" Kouga asked staring at the ground and even with Sesshomaru's expressionless face he couldn't stop the light blush that graced his cheek.

"It depends on the type of demon you are. I know for Inu youkai we carry the same length as a female of our breed, between two and three months. I know females wolves carry a bit longer usually no earlier then three months right?" Kouga nodded to the question so Sesshomaru continued his explanation, "then I would expect you to carry the same length of time."

"I can't believe I'm even having this discussion." Kouga said hanging his head.

"Why is that? You are old enough you should be used to the idea by now." Sesshomaru said just as calm as ever.

"I can't help but think myself weak now. I am even contemplating having my own pups! If I do I will be confined to a den until they are grown. I am a warrior and a leader of my clan, how am I supposed to both rule and bear the next generation." He said frustratingly his heat was building and it was making him more irritable then usual.

"Uke's are not weak; we have to be nearly as strong as our Semes for pups to even exist. I remember my father telling me when I went to him about being a Uke that he was more afraid of the Ukes on his council then the Semes. He said that semes are more predictable and just because they may be stronger then their mates doesn't make then any less dangerous. Plus a Uke is not useless after pups are born. Inu and Wolf demon pups grow quickly you should know this. It will only take them a few years to reach adolescent proportions, and then their growth slows down until they get to the point they no longer visibly age, letting their minds catch up with their bodies. The pups just have to be brought with you for the first year then they will be big enough to stay on their own for awhile, but you can still be both a good father and a good ruler at the same time it just takes practice and strength. Also I think you are forgetting that for a Uke to have pups in the first place they will have a seme around to help them when they need it." Sesshomaru said only taking the time to explain because he remembered having a nearly identical conversation with his father; he wouldn't be so cruel as to take that same comfort away from Kouga when he was able to give it.

"Thank you Sesshomaru," Kouga said as he stood back up and stretched out his muscles and bones cracking satisfyingly. "I hope you will be alright with Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru barely registered the wolf's comments as he was watching the purple robed monk stare at the wolf while he stretched showing off his taunt muscles. He watched the human for awhile getting a solid measure of him. While he had been staying with this odd little group his demeanor towards humans had changed from overwhelming dislike to making them beneath his notice. So the fact he was actively watching a human was out of the norm for him but he couldn't make himself care at the moment.

He felt the monk wasn't strong enough for him, his youkai didn't even stir let alone show any interest, but he might just be the right thing for Kouga.

During his sizing up of Miroku his own body temperature was slowly rising. He had a few more decades of heats then Kouga not to mention way more information on the subject, so he understood what was happening better, but that didn't make his heats any less of a pain. He would need to start cooling himself off somehow, hopefully without attracting attention. He knew their scent would give away the fact the two ukes were in heat, but he felt the need to hide it for as long as possible.

Kouga was struggling with the same problem. He detested his heats, he didn't have the support Sesshomaru had enjoyed, so he was more frustrated and irritable then he should have been. He usually just ran outside and jumped in the snow piles along his pack's den. He couldn't do that now thanks to the fact his heat was coming out of turn. He just knew he had to cool off or he was going to go insane.

"I think I am going to go relax in the hot springs. I want to work out a few kinks before starting to train again." He made his escape quickly going down to the lazily flowing river, he veered away from the hot springs and shedding clothing as he ran jumped into the colder waters of the main river. The relief from some of the heat was immediate. He knew from his romps in the snow it was impossible to remove all of the extra heat but it was a relief none the less.

He swam in meandering circles in the cold water letting it help remove as much of the feverish warmth as possible. He had his eyes closed as he relaxed so his ears and nose were the things to alert him he wasn't alone. He knew the monks scent easily from all their training. What he caught this time was a much more subtle smell, lust.

This thought made him finally open his eyes to see Miroku sitting calmly on the river bank just watching him. It was kind of creepy to tell the truth, but he didn't feel any ill intent the only thing he felt from the monk was that hint of lust. "why are you here Monk?" He called to the human boldly.

"Enjoying the view." Miroku replied with the same courage. "I thought you said you would be going to the hot springs isn't that water freezing?" He asked.

"I changed my mind and the water feels good." Kouga replied his guard a little lower then it should be.

Miroku dipped his hand into the water and discovered it was indeed freezing. The wolf demon should be at the very least shivering not just swimming around like it was the middle of the summer. That's when his earlier conversation with Sango began to make sense. He knew the only way he would know for sure was to touch the demon and see if he felt hotter then normal.

If it was true then he would have to follow the other part of Sango's advice he would have to dominate the wolf demon if he even wanted a chance with him. She had said he would be more distracted so their usual practice involving his wind tunnel would be too dangerous. He definitely did not want to hurt the wolf. He got an idea then that would both keep the wolf safe and let Miroku touch his bare skin. They hadn't done hand to hand combat for awhile and the monk had been practicing. He wasn't sure if he stood even the slightest chance of beating Kouga but he had to try. His body and mind were screaming at him wanting him to make the first move.

"If you think you managed to freeze yourself enough how about a spar?" He asked the wolf.

Kouga knew he was trapped there. It would look odd if he refused to spar with the monk as they only had so much time. He also knew he was treading on dangerous ground. With his heat the way it was he wouldn't last very long in a fight before overheating, he had never paid enough attention to his heats to learn the control necessary to hold the heat back for a fight, and he had a feeling he was about to regret that decision.

He slowly swam to the river bank and quickly retrieved his clothing. Pulling everything on except his shirt he soon stood in from of the monk who had also stripped to his waist. They had learned long ago that it was better to remove excess clothing as they would just end up repairing it later and they didn't have that kind of time.

At an unspoken command they both moved skillfully towards each other. Kouga knew if he wanted to win and retain his dignity he would have to win quickly. To do this he used all his speed to launch himself on Miroku intent on bringing him down, only to lunge into thin air. Miroku had trained enough with Kouga to predict his attacks by the look on his face. That was what had enabled him to keep the wolf safe from the black hole in his hand.

Kouga was not expecting Miroku to be fast enough to dodge him so he tried the same thing with a similar result. So that form of attack was obviously not going to work. That got him fighting harder and faster. Miroku was fighting back just as hard when he finally got what he had been looking for. Kouga's attack brought him close enough for him to touch the wolf's skin, it was burning hot, he finally had his answer. Kouga knew by the look on Miroku's face that he had discovered his heat cycle.

Miroku was able to use Kouga's split second distraction to knock the wolf to the ground, pinning him in place proving dominance. Kouga the wolf was nearly howling in rage, but his youkai was nearly purring with anticipation. He knew he had enough strength to throw the demon off and if this had been any other fight he would have, but that was the problem this wasn't just any fight. A uke had just been dominated by a strong enough Seme, and the demon part of him was refusing to give up the chance. It was submitting itself to the seme that had just beaten it. Kouga decided to let his instincts take over and do what they wanted him to do. (He absolutely refused to admit he might in the tiniest teensiest bit wanting to do this)

Miroku felt Kouga stop struggling and just lay there in defeat. It was the burning of the wolf's skin that broke him out of his trance. He hoped he hadn't hurt the demon by forcing him into this fight; he just hadn't been able to come up with a different way of proving dominance. He knew that heat couldn't be good for the muscles they had just strained fighting, they needed to cool down properly or they would give the wolf demon problems latter.

Miroku lifted Kouga into his arms with the intention of returning him to the river in the hope its waters would do some good. He was halted in this action by Kouga pressing as much of his bare skin as possible. For some reason the burning consuming him lessened with the more contact he had with the other's skin.

Miroku caught onto the problem so instead of just placing the wolf in the river he got in with Kouga and held the wolf to him as the freezing cold waters surrounded them. Finally the temperature of Kouga's skin started to go down and his mind cleared of some of its fog. He looked up at the monk holding him in his arms. His youkai was growling softly in the background wanting release, and he had to admit to himself he wasn't as upset with the whole arrangement as he thought he would. While he did hate the fact he had to depend on_anyone_ during this period of time, he did acknowledge that if he had to pick a seme the one he had wasn't so bad in fact it might just work out rather well.

Let's just say those purple robes sure hid a lot. For a human Miroku was well built with much sturdier muscles then any of the demons. Kouga had more defined muscle mass then the Inus but Miroku surpassed all three of them. That's not to say he was stronger he just had a different build. He had his hair pulled back into the customary pony tail, but it was Miroku's eyes that drew attention just now. They had a depth of feeling in them that anyone could see if they bothered to look deeper.

Right now those expressive eyes showed his worry for the demon in his arms. He wanted to make sure his actions caused the wolf no pain. Bringing both of them to a shallow pool of the river he sat upon the bottom and pulled Kouga next to him. He slowly began working out the tension that had developed in the muscles that was beginning to cause some discomfort. He worked slowly making sure every inch of muscle was relaxed and supple before moving on.

It took him the better part of an hour to do the job right, and when he was finished Kouga was feeling limber and energized. His heat had faded into an almost pleasant warmth due to both the cold water and the skin on skin contact. Miroku's heart was beating a mile a minute when the wolf got a bizarre look in his eyes and leaned upwards.

At the first brush of the lips Miroku knew what was coming and was ready for it. Kouga kissed him hard without preamble and gentle was not part of the equation, and that was just fine with Miroku who reciprocated the kiss with gusto. When they were forced to part thanks to their need for oxygen Miroku forced his vocal cords to work properly again and he spoke.

"Are you sure this is what you want, and this isn't just your heat talking?" Miroku asked gently not wanting to press his luck but not wanting to start something Kouga might regret latter.

"I can't say my heat has nothing to do with this that would be a lie but that has more to do with timing then anything else." Kouga answered honestly. "Just don't expect me to remain perfectly submissive to you that part of this really is my heat, and I will return to my normal attitude when it is over."

"I wouldn't want it that way anyway. I liked you _before_ I even knew you were a uke and had a heat cycle that gave you the ability to bare children. I liked you for your stubborn nature and fierce loyalty. Physically you are the uke and I am a seme but that doesn't mean that is all there can be. I want you for yourself nothing will change that." Miroku reassured the wolf.

"Now that's settled what are you waiting for?" the wolf said coyly finally relaxing enough to play a bit with his soon to be mate.

Miroku did not take much encouragement he attacked Kouga's mouth with renewed vigor glad they didn't have to fight through layers of clothing to get to each other. Hands roamed exploring and touching every available inch of skin. It didn't take long for Miroku to begin feeling Kouga's temperature rise again. This time his youkai would not be appeased with simple touching it wanted an all out release before it would back down again. Miroku was only too happy to oblige.

He soon found that in his heat cycle Kouga's skin was incredibly sensitive. The lightest touch getting a satisfying groan from the wolf and when Miroku let the short nails of his hands rake across the skin a long drawn out high pitched moan was produced, only to be clipped by Miroku's mouth on Kouga's. they were now both so hard it hurt. While they may have liked for this time to last longer prolonging the agony was not appealing at the moment.

With a few swift movements they were out of the water and on the river bank, Miroku was carefully preparing Kouga to be taken. He was busy using his hands and mouth to distract Kouga from the slight pain of stretching him. He knew it was better he felt this slight pain then to not be ready and feel blinding agony when he was finally penetrated.

He saw Kouga's eyes begin to cloud over with the force of his heat and he wondered if Kouga would even remember their time together. He found himself desperately wishing the demon would this was a special time to be shared between the two of them nothing less.

With that thought in mind he returned to the demon beneath him and caught Kouga's ice blue eyes with his own. Maintaining eye contact the entire time, he slowly entered Kouga stretching and filling him. He heard the wolf's deep groan turn into a growl as multiple spasms rocked the body of the wolf demon. That was very nearly all it took to bring Miroku to the edge it was only through extreme force of will that he held himself back. Kouga was so close and he knew it would be better if they went at the same time.

He began to move now. He started slow never breaking his eyes away from Kouga's ready to stop whenever he saw a flash of pain and was glad it wasn't there. He picked up the pace and the frequency and pitch of Kouga's cries increased and deepened respectfully. In an earth shaking moment they both came, screaming into the wind. Kouga's youkai taking over turning the scream of release into a howl of jubilation and content.

They sank to the ground basking in the afterglow. The stresses of the day melting away to the point their eyes grew heavy. Miroku managed to summon enough strength to cover them with his previously discarded purple robe. Then he refused to move any further. Sleep reached out and claimed both of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX back at the cave XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(this is happening not long after Kouga and Miroku slipped away)

"Inuyasha we had better head out. We need to find a suitable place for you to practice." Sesshomaru said to his brother as he got up gracefully from where he had been sitting.

"Fine," was the only reply he received from the half demon.

Giving a quick explanation to the two women they started to move away from the main cave. Only to hear the sounds of a sparring match going on down by the river. They stopped to watch only long enough to see who it was and they both had to assume what was happening. It was with them both standing still and within close proximity of each other that Inuyasha picked up on the slowly developing scent coming off his brother.

"When were you going to tell us you are going into heat?" he asked Sesshomaru.

"I was hoping to have more time then this. It isn't important right now the only thing that is important is retrieving Rin." Sesshomaru explained.

"Aniki, you and I both know that this _is_ important. Naraku is going to be able to scent you and that will put all of us in danger especially you." Inuyasha stated gracefully. All the time spent with Sesshomaru was beginning to rub off.

"I will be able to control the scent of my heat for the duration of the fight. I had to do it before to keep other demons from discovering the fact I am a Uke." Sesshomaru explained.

"What happens if you get challenged by a seme though? Do you have enough control over your demon to not react to a seme if the situation happens Naraku could do that to you, he probably knows about either you or Kouga being a Uke and is prepared to distract you. He knows you two are the strongest of us and will be looking for a way to get you out of the fight." Inuyasha said mildly surprising his brother with his thinking but of course it didn't show on the other's face.

"You may be right but he doesn't know that we already have eligible semes around us. If we can hold out against semes who are around us all the time then we can withstand a stranger he throws at us. Besides what is happening down in that valley will take away one worry." Sesshomaru said astutely as he watched the ending of the battle.

Inuyasha followed the older demon's gaze and saw what had captured his attention. "I never knew Miroku was that strong." He noted to no one in particular.

"It is not entirely the Monk that did that. I think it was Kouga himself his demon wanted him to settle down. He could have fought back in the end but he didn't he chose to let the monk dominate him." Sesshomaru said in reply to Inuyasha's reaction.

"Would you have fought back?" Inuyasha asked before he stopped to think about just who he had asked that question of.

"That would depend on who I was fighting with." Sesshomaru answered in his even voice, but there was a slight change in the expression shown in his eye. What it meant Inuyasha had no idea.

A/N yeah another chapter done I'm sorry it took so long I had this thing half written for awhile then finally knuckled down and finished. I hope you enjoyed your first taste of my yaoi.

Next chapter will be final preparation and then the rescue of little Rin plus a bit of a surprise (well two actually but one is kind of obvious if you read author notes ;)


	6. War of Brothers

A/N ok this is way shorter then my normal posts but I wanted to give all of you something for waiting this long. Inusess starts up in this chapter but nothing much. I will talk more at the end so I don't give anything away.

Chapter Six

War of Brothers

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru continued further into the valley looking for a suitable cave for their purpose. They didn't need much just a place to rest between practice sessions. They also needed something hidden enough Sesshomaru's heat scent wouldn't draw too many other demons.

They found a small depression in the valley walls that would serve them well. Setting up their minimal supplies they set about scouting the area for potential threats. They were lucky that the worst thing they came across was a den of badger demons. The tough little creatures gave the brothers a decent warm up of their skills before immediately jumping back into their training.

Sesshomaru wanted to work more on Inuyasha's control. The ability to transform was only half the battle. He had to give the new alpha some credit he had remained in control of his demon during the hunt, but an actual battle was a whole different situation. The demon was fighting something threatening it and its family it was far harder to control a demon when every instinct was screaming at you to give into the blood lust.

"Inuyasha I want you to call forward your partial transformation. I don't want you to become an Inu I just want you to have access to your demonic abilities alright?" Sesshomaru ordered.

With a bit of a struggle Inuyasha was standing in front of him crimson eyed the bloodlust curbed but right beneath the surface ready to strike. He stood silently waiting for the instructions he knew he would receive from his brother.

"Ok Otouto, we are going to fight with you like this. I am actually going to attack you and you are to do the same. I want you to both fight me and keep a hold of your demon. If we are to fight Naraku you need to be able to sustain this far of a transformation without losing control during a real battle." Sesshomaru had barely finished speaking before he rushed forward with all his speed. Unlike Kouga he had endured heats long enough to push them to the back of his mind in a fight.

Sesshomaru hadn't been lying they were fighting the same way they used to before the truce. The aim was to cause as much damage to the other as possible. With the hard training they had been doing they knew how to fight each other so well there was no telling who would win. Sesshomaru quickly learned his usual taunts didn't work when Inuyasha was in this form. His demon blood gave him the boost of confidence he needed to face down his older brother and ignore the biting comments.

After a solid hour of fighting and no discernable ground lost on either side Inuyasha began to tire and with his coming fatigue his control on the blood lust slipped. Sesshomaru saw the change come over the other Inu and fought to over power him before any more damage could be done. Inuyasha just pushed back all the harder and Sesshomaru almost found himself wishing he hadn't been quite so good a teacher. With Inuyasha not responding to his taunts he didn't have anything to use to through Inuyasha off the battle. They were about to find out just how evenly matched they had become.

The battle was short and ugly both brothers bleeding profusely in the end. The ending was an incredible shift in their usual dynamic. Inuyasha had Sesshomaru pinned to the ground and was quickly descending his razor sharp claws to the others throat. Just before the death blow fell Sesshomaru did the only thing he could think of that might let him survive. He shifted his position slightly so that he was in complete submission to the other.

The alpha part of Inuyasha responded to this posture. Leaning his head down he bit the juncture of Sesshomaru's neck where it met his collar bone. The tension left the clearing only to be replaced by confusion as Inuyasha shifted back to his human form. "What did I just do? I couldn't control it the instinct was so much stronger then even the demonic bloodlust." He asked Sesshomaru.

The older inu did not answer immediately he was too busy thinking over the event leading to the question. After a long time that wore on Inuyasha's newly developed patience Sesshomaru finally answered him. "You just claimed me as a part of your pack forever. We can't be away from each other for long periods of time at any point in the future. The fact that you placed the mark on me makes you the alpha, at least of me, indefinitely."

"Why aren't you trying to kill me then?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.

"Well for one I can't you're my alpha I have to submit to you even if I don't like it, but for the sake of future relations I should tell you that it doesn't really surprise me. I have been expected you to declare yourself alpha ever since I admitted to being a Uke to you. I didn't expect you to take it this far or I would have warned you it was a possible occurrence." Sesshomaru explained a little out of character for him but it was just him and Inuyasha for now so he didn't feel the need to be overly cold.

"Will I mark anyone else involuntarily?" Inuyasha asked warily.

"No," Sesshomaru's answer wasn't enough for Inuyasha.

"Why did I mark you then if I won't mark the others?" he pressed for more information.

"Because, an alpha only marks potential mates." Sesshomaru finally gave Inuyasha what he was looking for.

"Why aren't you more upset over this?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"Because as far as I know I am the only one you have marked. My youkai is content with the situation at this time if you had marked more then one potential mate then I wouldn't be able to remain calm." He explained.

"Why?" This was quickly becoming Inuyasha's most used word.

"My youkai is ready to mate. Normally a demon can find a mate within a few centuries of their first heat. I have had mine for over a millennium. You have already dominated me thus satisfying the Uke part of me, the part of me still able to think rationally would rather mate with a known demon then an unknown. If you had marked more then one potential mate then I would have to fight to mate and I would have to win. I can't submit to someone else." Sesshomaru used the same toneless voice he had used with Kouga to deal with this conversation.

"So you are willing to mate with me because it's convenient is that what you are saying?" Inuyasha challenged.

"That's most of it but not all. Watching that fight between the monk and the wolf you asked me if I would have fought back. I would have had it been any one other then you. Just the same as the wolf within Kouga chose not to fight back it would have been the same, except for the minor possibility I wouldn't have been able to fight back we are more evenly matched then the wolf and the monk. You are just getting to know the demon that is within you I don't expect you to understand that after a certain amount of time the demon settles down and does what is best for all around not just itself. Every demon has two halves to them just because the split is more noticeable in hanyous doesn't mean it isn't there in purebloods." Seeing the confused look on Inuyasha's face he decided to circumvent the forthcoming why and just clarify already.

"In other words it is my choice. The demon in me understands what I would like and wouldn't like in a mate it takes that information from me then tries to secure the best mate possible. If my demon chose you then you are the best choice all around, he just saw it before I did. I could have fought back instead of submitting at the end I chose to submit." He explained again and the confused look went away to be replaced by concern.

"But would you be happy?" This seemed to be very important to Inuyasha. "Not just content but actually enjoy my company more then any one else?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru answered evenly.

**A/N** so am I managing to keep them in character? I just don't see Sesshomaru as a sappy romantic I am trying to make it clear he cares for, and is even beginning to love, Inuyasha. Their relationship will never be on the level of chocolates and flowers like Kagome and Sango but romance will become more involved as I write but in this relationship actions are going to speak better then any badly written sweet nothings make sense?

I am also expanding on the concept that even though Inuyasha is a seme and an alpha he still depends on Sesshomaru for advice. Their relationship is one of equals ad that will never change. That isn't a mark of possession that is a mark of warning towards any other suitors.

**Please Review!** I know its annoying to see authors begging all the times it annoys me as well to tell the truth


	7. Returning

A/N I have done a bit more research on weapons, but I am not sure if I entirely trust my sources, and will be using only what I know. I understand these characters have more weapons and abilities then I will be using, but I am only comfortable writing the ones I have seen in use. I love Inuyasha but I don't get to watch it very often. If people could help me out on spelling and usage I can write in the attacks better. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Chapter Seven

Returning

It took three more days of nearly constant fighting before Inuyasha had control over his youkai form. It wasn't perfect but time was running out on them.

"Inuyasha we have to head back to the others, we need to regroup and plan. We can spend one day recovering while we plan then we must move. Rin can't last much longer, he will be using her soon, if he hasn't already. Whatever Naraku is planning needs to be stopped before it is too late." Sesshomaru called to his brother, who was currently still in his Inu form.

Inuyasha sat down on his haunches then slowly morphed back into his normal hanyou body. "Let's go then," He answered in human tongue.

The two Inus followed the same path back up the canyon that they had taken on their original trip up. They hadn't brought many supplies so there was little time wasted packing up camp.

"I wonder just how much trouble the others got into during our absence, although it did appear that they would be occupied enough to not cause trouble." Inuyasha observed as they walked.

"I just hope they have enough control that they spent some time actually training." Sesshomaru said gruffly. If sentimental fools too wrapped up in each other to train caused him to loose Rin, heads would roll.

"You are just going to have to trust them." Inuyasha responded.

"Why should I trust those who don't trust me?" Sesshomaru pointed out in an even voice.

Inuyasha just raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think they don't trust you? I trust you, you know that right?" He asked.

"You understand my reasons, your humans will never comprehend just what compels me to do this." Sesshomaru answered, "If they do not understand why I have come they will never trust my presence will not cause them harm." His words stuck the core of the matter in their stoic delivery.

"They do not understand a great deal of things involving youkais, but that is not their fault. They are human's after all, not youkais, just like we do not understand them they do not understand us." Inuyasha explained surprising his brother with his insight. "Plus what reason do you have to hate humans, if either of us has a right to it's me. Despite being part human they have hurt me the most." Inuyasha pointed out.

"I had to watch my father go off to his death to save your human mother." Sesshomaru answered emotionlessly.

"And I had to watch him die at the claws of a YOUKAI, not a human. Then I had to watch my mother get sick and die which would never have happened if father hadn't died. I was driven out of my home by humans and left for dead in the forests. Brother do not think you are the only one who is haunted by father's death." Inuyasha said some of his temper showing through.

"You actually saw Father die?" Sesshomaru asked, with absolutely no hint towards his feelings on the matter.

"Yes, my mother had hidden me from Ryukotsusei at the edge of the village. I watched the battle and as far as I know Father never knew I was there." Inuyasha explained the memories hitting him hard.

Sesshomaru had no words for his brother, sentimentality was not his strong point, all he did was lay one clawed hand on Inuyasha's shoulder for a second before moving on. Inuyasha understood the gesture and was grateful, he knew that was the closest he would ever come to being forgiven by his brother. Sesshomaru was about action more then words and in a way Inuyasha preferred that. Actions could not be mistaken as easily as words and they meant so much more then wasted breath.

Shaking his head to clear it of his thoughts, he brought his attention back to the path they were traveling. He did not need to think about the battle that was lost, they had their own battle to fight and they must win it.

It took Inuyasha a little longer then normal to scent the others, mainly because Sesshomaru's scent was so heavy thanks to the heat currently ravaging his body. It didn't smell too strongly of mating, so the brothers were left to assume they had been training as well. One scent however was missing. It took a moment for the Inu brothers to realize what was missing.

"Kouga, come here." Sesshomaru commanded.

The wolf got up from his spot next to the fire and followed the elder youkai away from the others, but not completely out of Inuyasha's hearing range.

"Your heat is gone." It wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Yes, I don't know why though." Kouga answered carefully, trying not to meet the Daiyoukai's eyes.

"I do, and you shouldn't lie, it is unbecoming of a pack leader." Sesshomaru called him on the lie.

"Ok, so I do know why, I am just not ready to admit it okay," Kouga spat out confirming Sesshomaru's conclusion.

"Have you told the monk?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No, the only ones aware of the change are the neko and the kitsune. Though I doubt Shippo knows what the change in my scent means." Kouga confessed.

"Why haven't you told him?" Sesshomaru wasn't accusing the ookami, he just wanted to know.

"I didn't want to distract him too much. The upcoming battle will be hard enough on them without me adding to the worries." Kouga said with a sigh.

"At least your heat scent won't draw Naraku to us too soon. If anyone is going to give us away it will be me." Sesshomaru said seeing the advantage in the situation.

Sesshomaru was turning to head back to the others and start planning when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly to see what the wolf wanted he saw Kouga's eyes fixed on the silvery scar on his throat.

"You let him mark you." Again, that was not a question.

"My choice wasn't as obvious as yours but in the end yes I let him." Sesshomaru answered evenly. Kouga had trusted him with his fears, it was time a little of that trust was returned.

"You mean he actually beat you?" Kouga asked eyes widening, he was able to read between the lines of the proud youkai's speech. "I knew it was a possibly from watching the two of you before, but I didn't expect it this soon." Kouga explained evenly recovering from his shock smoothly.

"I could have defended myself but I would have had to use my poison, and at the moment I need his help too much to kill him." Sesshomaru explained emotionlessly.

"Riight, look I know you're never going to admit it, but you care for him. I see it in the way you act and the way you are working so hard to turn him into the alpha you need to rule the West with you. Any pups born from you two would be incredibly strong despite being quarter human. Inuyasha's human blood does not seem to affect him like most Hanyous, to put it simply your brother is far more youkai then human and I have never seen it before, only heard about it. He might just be the only one still alive." Kouga said crossing his arms and giving Sesshomaru a knowing look. They both heard the gasp from Inuyasha but the hanyou got closer to them and spoke before they had a chance to do anything about what he overheard.

"I am not the only Hanyou that is more youkai then human, Shiori a little girl we helped along the way with a human mother and youkai father, is also like me." Inuyasha explained. Kouga didn't see it but Sesshomaru understood that Inuyasha was actually trying to distract Kouga from the prior topic. Inuyasha was protecting him from Kouga's questions.

"Inuyasha if out of everything you have seen in your life and you have only run across one other hanyou like yourself then you should know you are unusual." Kouga explained falling into Inuyasha's scheme.

"What does it matter anyway my blood is the same whether I take after a youkai or not." Inuyasha asked genuinely curious about that.

"Inuyasha remember me telling you that human and youkai blood really shouldn't be able to mix?" Sesshomaru asked taking over the explanations from Kouga.

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered vaguely recalling it, he had taken in a lot of information that day and it was starting to blend together.

"The reason we know this is because most of the time it doesn't mix. This means that there are three I geuss you could say classes of hanyous that we have seen. I just want to say no form of Hanyou is accepted more then the others. The most common type is the one where the blood doesn't mix at all and the hanyou is left weak and sickly because their bodies are fighting their own blood just to survive.

The two least common are the ones where the blood mixes thoroughly leaving the hanyou with a dominant side and a lesser side. This means the hanyou will either appear mostly human or mostly youkai. The nature of the two blood types means that human blood often wins out over youkai.

I would imagine you and this girl Shiori took after your youkai blood because of your fathers. I can only assume Shiori's father was a Lord as well. It could be that your youkai heritage was stronger then your human side." Sesshomaru explained.

"What would have happened if my blood had gone one of the other ways?" Inuyasha asked curiously half dreading the answer.

"You wouldn't be as strong, nor could you have wielded Father's fang. You definitely wouldn't have been an alpha, and it is quite possible you could have died from old age by now. The human type hanyous have a shorter life span and the other kind barely lasts a century." Sesshomaru answered clinically.

"So that is why all youkais think Hanyou's are weak, because most of us are. Since you say my kind is rare it means that any other youkai's that encounter Hanyou's have met either a slightly youkai human, or a vegetable. Why do they treat me the same though? I mean do I look like the other kinds or do I just attract trouble?" Inuyasha asked.

"You're right for the most part. No you do not look like any of the other hanyous I have met. I just don't think other youkais care to see the difference, to them you've seen one hanyou you have seen them all. In the end I believe this gave you an advantage. They do not expect you to be able to fight as strongly and as hard as a full youkai. You beat them with the element of surprise, luck, and skill." Sesshomaru answered.

"The others are starting to get fidgety we had better get back or they will be curious." Kouga said getting the attention of the Inu brothers.

"I agree," Sesshomaru replied and lead them back to the others.

This time it was Kouga halted by a hand on his shoulders. Inuyasha pitched his voice lower then humans could hear and told him, "Congratulations on your pups."

Kouga just nodded in acceptance. He didn't want to prolong the conversation.

Then it hit him, that was the first time it had been said out loud.

Pups, his pups, and he found he didn't mind the thought as much as he once did.

A/N well what do you think? Hopefully we will get to some fighting in the next chapter but I don't want to make a promise I am not sure I can keep.

Please review


	8. Finding The Lost

Chapter 4

**Sweetest Sin**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N** Ok I had to pretty much completely chicken out on the battle scene, I have written about three different versions of it and it just wont come out the way I want it to. I am sorry to those looking for an all out battle that is just not going to happen in the story. By the way this story is not done yet by a long shot.

**Chapter Eight**

**Finding the Lost**

It took three days to track down Naraku. They were all a little leery that it was so easy to find him. One had his suspicions that Naraku wanted to be found but never felt the urge to voice them. Once they were inside that monster's den they split off into two groups one to fight, and hopefully distract Naraku and his minions, and the others to find Rin.

Inuyasha led the group battling Naraku while Sesshomaru and Kouga headed off to find the girl. No one noticed Shippo follow the two demons deeper into the cave like hideout.

Sango riding Kirara attacked Kagura on the wind demoness's own level. Kagome and Miroku were trying to get to Kanna, and destroy the horrible mirror. Leaving Inuyasha to face off with Naraku himself, and the hanyou was surprised to find the other not instilled in his baboon suit for this battle.

Sesshomaru ignored the battle going on in the front room in favor of racing towards his Rin. He could smell her sweet human scent from there. It was particularly strong which told Sesshomaru she had not been bathed recently, nor been outside as other scents would overpower her own. In tracking her he noticed another scent, a slightly familiar scent, but did not concentrate on its origin Rin was his only priority.

The lower cavern was not without its guards, Naraku's poisonous bugs swarmed through them and Sesshomaru and Kouga were headed straight for them. Being surrounded by the biting insects and trying to fight them off just wasn't working, there was simply too many of them. Even transforming would not help them in the least. The two demons actually thought they might just be beaten by a bunch of bugs until they, and the bugs shrouding them, were enveloped in shimmering blue flame.

Shippo was using his fox fire to literally roast the insects alive. The fact that the fire burned only the insects and not Sesshomaru or Kouga showed just how much the kitsune had improved. Apparently his lessons with Kirara had involved more than stealth and tracking.

When the bugs were nothing more than smoking carcasses Sesshomaru and Kouga continued to track the scents emanating from further into the cave. It was Kouga who understood the second scent first, and it caused him to stop in his tracks.

"Sesshomaru, Rin was not the only one taken, I can smell Ayame with her." He explained inhaling deeply to try and read the scent of the familiar ookami.

"At least she is not alone." Sesshomaru whispered to himself just loud enough for Kouga to hear.

"You really love this girl don't you?" Kouga commented even as they continued their quest.

Sesshomaru appeared like he wasn't going to answer, but he finally growled out, "Yes."

"Good because I believe she is in the next cell, and she will need you." Kouga affirmed as they had finally reached the inhabited part of Naraku's dungeon.

They swiftly entered the cell and had to pull back in horror. It was a filthy place, dirt, mud, and some dark stains that looked suspiciously like blood covered the whole area. Inside that place of horrors were two figures huddled together. One larger with long greasy red hair that had been pulled from their normal pig tails, and one smaller figure who was shaking from cold and fright. The larger figure held the smaller tightly against her, the slight whimper of fear told the rescuers that she was too scared to tell who had entered the cell.

The two healthy demons rushed over to them, Kouga placed a gentle hand on his fellow ookami and felt the muscle tense a second before she jumped into the air and, taking Rin with her, fled into the darkened corner of the cell. It was only when she got a good look at them with her aqua eyes that her terrified mind caught up with the truth.

"Kouga? Sesshomaru?" She asked weakly.

"Ayame, what have they done to you?" Kouga asked with a slight crack in his voice as he looked straight into dead eyes.

She didn't answer with words, instead she shifted the still out of it girl to one side. Kouga didn't understand what she was trying to tell them until he heard Sesshomaru's sharply indrawn breath and took a closer look. Ayame's abdomen was rounded slightly. It was barely noticeable except for the fact if they were being kept in these conditions she should not have any extra weight on her at all.

Kouga moved slowly towards her, knowing she would still be easily startled for awhile. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he gently brushed his check against hers reassuringly, before he placed a very gentle hand on the swollen stomach. He was rewarded with a barely noticeable shift under his palm. Catching her eyes he saw the truth, this was not a consented union.

Knowing she had been through one too many shocks, he gently took Rin and handed the frightened girl to Sesshomaru's waiting arms where she burrowed deeper in the familiar warmth, before picking up the demoness in his own arms. They would both need some medical treatment but for now their priority was getting out of this place in one piece.

They met Shippo outside of the cell he had not been quite brave enough to venture inside. When the reached the outer level there was still sounds of battle but it was significantly less, someone was winning and from the numerous cries they heard it was their group that was winning.

Not wanting to pop out of nowhere and possibly distract someone to their death they came around the corner slowly. They were just in time to see Inuyasha strike out at Naraku forcing Tetsusaiga through the spider demon's chest and up words cleanly slicing the demon apart. The unearthly shriek that filled the cavern was the swan song of the evil demon.

The body of Naraku slowly fell to the ground tentacles retracting back into his body, leaving him in his human looking body. That revealed Inuyasha to them and with a foreboding air Sesshomaru noticed his fire rat clothes were darker than usual, and wet.

Inuyasha slowly turned to face the rest of the group which was on the other side of the cavern from Sesshomaru and he was able to see clearly there was a gaping hole in his back. It looked to go right through his lungs and possibly his heart. With a low cry he dropped to the ground and fell forward. Sprawled on the ground with his silver hair surrounding him and blood beginning to pool on the dirt floor Inuyasha did not move, not even his chest rose and fell.

He was dead.


	9. Resurrection

**Sweetest Sin**

**DaggersBloodPain**

A/N I can't believe the amount of readers with vicious personalities. I had hoped some of you would realize it doesn't really work to kill off the main character in the middle of the story before any good parts happen.

**Chapter Nine**

**Resurrection**

Sesshomaru felt his breath leave him as he watched his brother hit the floor. He hadn't felt this level of fear since his father had went off to protect Izayoi. The crimson blood staining the sandy floor propelled him into action.

Almost without thinking he slipped Tensaiga out of its sheath and headed towards Inuyasha's still form. His sight immediately slipped into focus showing him the little green death crawlers coating Inuyasha. Each one of the imps met his sword as he swung recklessly.

The others looked on in concern as all they saw was Sesshomaru standing over Inuyasha swinging the large sword very close to his body. They all knew the properties of Tensaiga but had never seen it in use. It was very disconcerting to watch, especially with the disorientation of Inuyasha's sudden death on top of that. Their minds were simply reeling and there was nothing they could do to help.

When Sesshomaru was done clearing away the death imps he expected Inuyasha to take a breath just like every other time he had revived someone. In this case Inuyasha remained still. He was neither fully dead nor fully alive.

Dropping to his knees Sesshomaru gathered Inuyasha's silvery head into his lap and just held him, petting the snow white main slowly. There was absolutely no expression on the tai-youkai's face. He just held his brother. He blinked once, twice and without knowing it one crystalline drop of moisture collected in his eye and fell down his cheek. Continuing on its path it dripped from his chin and onto Inuyasha's forehead.

The drop glistened on his skin for a heartbeat before seeming to sink in, and golden eyes opened.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes as he felt Inuyasha's chest rise and fall, as he began to breath. Looking down into identical honey orbs relief flooded from him in an overflowing wave, relief Sesshomaru had never felt on this level before, not even after reviving Rin.

Without either one consciously moving their lips met in a hungry kiss. Time stopped, nothing moved, and no one made a sound. It was just the two of them hearts beating in a harmonic rhythm.

It was just the way it was supposed to be.

A/N I am sorry this is so short I was going to make it longer but I just got so busy and I have so many things to do that I am posting this as is. Its been floating around on my desk top for awhile but I hope it answers some questions.


	10. Mate

**Sweetest Sin**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**A/N** I know it has been a very long time since I have updated but here it is and nearly twice as long as my usual posts. I ask you please be patient I love this story and it will be completed I am sorry it is taking so long but some things cannot be helped.

**Chapter Ten**

**Mate**

"We need to get out of here and soon, these two need to be looked at by a healer." Kouga told the rest of the group distracting them and giving the two youkai some privacy.

"Is that Ayame?" Kagome asked fearfully looking at the disheveled red hair of the girl clutched in his arms.

"Yes, she was in the same cell protecting Rin." He explained quietly as Sesshomaru and Inuyasha finally broke apart panting heavily.

Sesshomaru pulled Inuyasha to his feet slowly. While the Tensaiga had healed him, he would still be sore for a while. They slowly walked over to the others. Inuyasha started immediately checking over his friends, all of them carried some bruises and were bleeding in several places. Nothing immediately life threatening that he could see. The most damaged by far was Rin and Ayame, which wasn't surprising.

"Where is the closest healer you trust?" Kouga asked getting impatient.

"Kaede is the only one we know of that might heal a demon. Her village is a three day walk from here as close as I can tell." Sango answered the impatient wolf.

"How far is the western castle?" He asked Sesshomaru not liking the thought of taking a group of so many demons to a human village.

"Five days," He answered immediately. It was his habit to always know where home was.

"Then we head for the miko's village. I am not entirely comfortable taking all of us to a human village, but if it cannot be helped." Kouga said with a helpless shrug.

"You will not have to take all of us. I plan to take Inuyasha with me back to the western castle. If he is going to take his rightful place he needs to do it before the rest of you come. I cannot guarantee the safety of both him and everyone else until things are settled." Sesshomaru added in.

"Are you sure about this?" Inuyasha asked nervously.

"Yes, it is time you took your rightful place." Sesshomaru reassured.

"Alright, I will go with you to the West." Inuyasha agreed.

With the hanyou's agreement, they got ready to leave. With the most wounded being helped onto Kirara's back. She was not able to carry all of them so they were forced to chose who would walk and who would ride. Once everyone was set and ready they headed off in their respective directions.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha decided to do their traveling in their youkai forms. It would give them time to get to the palace and do what needed to be done before the others healed up enough to follow. If everything went smoothly, it shouldn't take too long for Inuyasha to claim the place he had been denied since early childhood. There would surely be some opposition, particularly from the overzealous faction that would have to be convinced by the use of brute force.

Inuyasha knew there was going to be some sort of display, there simply had to be to prove he was worthy to rule with his brother. He was not quite sure what would be asked of him, he assumed he would fight someone of his brother's choosing, but his opponent could be Sesshomaru himself for all he knew. He wasn't concerned enough to ask. With all of his training, he knew he could beat just about any opponent his brother threw at him, but would it be enough to convince the traditionalists?

Sesshomaru was thinking along similar lines, but his concerns were focused more on what would happen after Inuyasha had proved his worth. He knew his brother well enough to know he would face whatever challenge was thrown at him and come out on top. After his defeat of Naraku, Sesshomaru doubted any warrior could beat him in single combat.

The questions in his mind centered on how Inuyasha would handle the new notoriety, before he was just the hanyou brother to the one Lord of the West. He could get away with far more mistakes because he was not expected to know the customs. The moment the first person called him a Lord he would be expected to act like one no matter the circumstances.

He knew Inuyasha was going to ruffle feathers, because even if by some miracle he managed to teach him all the ins and outs of courtly graces in the few days it would take to reach the palace Sesshomaru doubted he would use them unless it suited him to do so. It was an odd feeling to know this, and yet he knew if something like that came to pass he would do nothing to stop it. The wildness in Inuyasha was what made him the perfect alpha, and the perfect ruler. He would not try to tame him and loose that advantage. The older youkai on his council was just going to have to adapt or loose their positions.

That night they feasted on freshly caught game, completely raw. Sesshomaru noticed the obvious relish Inuyasha showed at what should have been a fairly common supper for any of the predatory youkai.

"Why is this so odd to you?" He asked once they had finished their meal.

"I rarely get to indulge in raw meat. Traveling with humans required me to adjust. I manage to sneak it occasionally but I have been caught at it once before and it was not well received." He explained.

"Don't they understand that it is natural for you, and beyond that all youkai need to partake of raw meat to feed their demons. Without it, we are far more likely to fall into a bloodlust and attack someone we shouldn't. What about the Kitsune? He is old enough to feel the hunger." Sesshomaru asked astonished that he hadn't noticed the oddity in his brother before this.

"On the few occasions that I get to go out to hunt on my own I bring some back for him. I have taken him with me once when the others were asleep. That was the time I was caught, they were searching for him when they found me, we were just lucky they didn't see him eating the meat as well. I never got around to explaining why I needed it. As humans, I doubt they would understand the need to eat raw flesh in order to not hurt something else. I had finally found a pack I wasn't about to loose them over something as small as a raw rabbit." Inuyasha explained in full.

"You should at least try to help them understand. If they are really your pack they will be obliged to at least listen to your explanation. It is something you must learn once you become a Lord, your word will be law in the west. Your orders must be carried out or punishments will be assigned. You could actually kill any member of the court for disrespecting you but that is left to the truly offensive and slanderous remarks. A Lord is often looked upon more for the mercy he shows than hi punishments." Sesshomaru explained.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Inuyasha cried frustrated. "You have always killed whoever was in your way for very little reason and yet you say Lords are measured by their mercy?"

"It is a balance Inuyasha. They expect me to be cold and ruthless so I must be cold and ruthless. This is a given fact so an offense towards me doesn't carry the same weight as it would to a different Lord, just as you will have to form your own reputation and stick to it. You already have the rudiments of it in the tales of your exploits. They will be watching to see how you live up to them.

You will definitely stir up some trouble amongst the council members firmly set in the old ways, but I will not make you change the way you are just to please them. It is the wild in you that will save the west I just know it, and father did to or he would have handled things differently. It was no accident that we were pitted against each other for so long, father was a crafty youkai, he knew what he was doing. I am surer than ever that he planned everything that has happened so far." Sesshomaru confided his suspicions to Inuyasha for the first time.

"Do you think he planned this?" Inuyasha asked as he reached out and stroked the silvery scar he had placed on Sesshomaru's throat.

"That I don't know, but I don't think he would mind the turn of events. He knew one way or another it was going to be you who sired the heirs for the West. My being a Uke was something that presented itself when I was still a pup. When you were born his hopes for the future of our line was restored. If he knew that it is likely his sons would come together to create another strong generation of the great InuYoukai he would be pleased.

"You really don't have a problem with that mark?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.

"No, I already explained this to you and the fight with Naraku has changed nothing. The west needs strong heirs and we can give them to it. I also do not object to the sire of those heirs in any way. I have finally made my peace with you Inuyasha, I will do my best to convince you of this." Sesshomaru assured with a gentle kiss.

Inuyasha realized it was the first time they had kissed since his resurrection. He had known Sesshomaru was slowly growing to care about him, but could this be something else? Could he possibly be in love with his brother? The killing perfection it suited him well, but was there more then a killer beneath the ice?

When he decided to deepen the kiss and wasn't pushed away, his doubts began to recede. This could really work. His brother was going to be his mate. His human side was still coming to grips with the situation but his demon was leaping for joy.

He began to slowly push Sesshomaru to the ground. His confidence grew slowly as the older demon let himself be dominated. Inuyasha knew if Sesshomaru objected to this, he could stop it at anytime but no such intervention came to be.

XXXXXXXXX Yaoi Scene! XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inuyasha straddled Sesshomaru's waist and started to plant kisses on his face and neck. Tasting and touching the pale as the moon skin. His hands rose to carefully remove his brothers clothing. He did it slowly exposing one piece of flesh at a time and not an inch of the newly revealed skin was left unexplored or un-tasted.

Sesshomaru was doing the same to Inuyasha. He was not one to be a passive partner and this was no different. He was quicker in his undressing and more violent in his responses.

The demon inside Inuyasha began to awaken as the first stirrings of pain came from Sesshomaru's claws and teeth. The markings slowly revealed along his skin were frightening sensitive as Sesshomaru's claws scrapped over them.

This pushed him over the edge and any thoughts of a sensual romantic experience went out the window as they started to bite and claw at each other in wild abandon. Mouths crashed together in bruising kisses. Rising up off the ground in a battle for dominance. They pressed against each other with such force their bodies practically melted together. Sweat broke out on their bodies and salted liquid mixed with blood on the fresh wounds stinging them and furthering their frenzy.

Inuyasha bodily lifted Sesshomaru and flipped him over pinning him to the ground the pale neck once again enclosed in his jaws. A claiming bites instead of a marking one. He was asserting his dominance and claiming Sesshomaru as his own. Going with the instincts flooding his body he thrust into the body beneath him, the pleasure mixed with pain causing Sesshomaru to howl beneath him as he pulled out only to thrust again once more. Sesshomaru rising up to meet the thrust. They established a frenzied rhythm, which drew howling cries from both of them.

The scent of blood and arousal was heavy on the air as their cries were carried away on the wind. They came together with forceful abandon. Neither of them had imagined their coupling would be like this. The wildness bred into both their hearts rising to meet the other and pushing them to greater heights of pleasure and pain, their youkais coming to the forefront taking over them.

Inuyasha relished in the activity of his partner. The reactions and battles for control just serving to make him even more aroused then he thought was possible. Nothing could compare with the truly animalistic coupling they were in. this was the secret of nature and life something so primal and elemental the very rock and earth around them called out their delight. He was feeling the full power of an alpha for the first time and he let himself drown in the feeling.

They came together over and over again, coming close to the edge only to come back to the beginning. They just couldn't get enough of everything. The blood on them mixing together and running freely over them. Never before had they felt more connected to the world around them as they were with the stars blinking in their eyes and their hearts racing in time to the other.

Inuyasha could feel himself becoming so close to losing everything. A few more thrusts and the inclusion of Sesshomaru's teeth on his neck and claws on his back had him releasing his pent up seed as he felt the warmth spread from his mate beneath him. Both of them had climaxed together and were riding the aftershocks out at the same time. Inuyasha collapsed on top of Sesshomaru as their bodies shuddered and shock with the force of that first release.

If either of them had been conscious enough to notice, they would have seen the very trees of the forest huddling closer sheltering them from the disturbing wind, and the soft earth beneath them rising up to cradle them. Nature approved of their mating and was working to keep them safe, after such a primal event it was not unexpected.

They slept beneath the stars intertwined together protected by nature and each other. Neither had ever slept so well in their lives.


	11. Safe

**Sweetest Sin**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Safe**

The Western Castle was a place Inuyasha had not been to since he was a very young pup. It was smaller than he remembered, but it was still enormous. He castle walls encircled several gardens and training areas along with the building itself.

Walking through the large wrought iron gates shoulder to shoulder with his brother Inuyasha was able to keep the awe from showing on his face and appeared to be coolly observing everything around him mimicking his brother when he was actually more of a star struck pup.

It did not take long for Sesshomaru's guards to spot them, they saluted their Lord but stared at Inuyasha with mistrust. This caused both brothers' ire to rise.

Sesshomaru strode to the nearest guard, "Prepare the eastern Training yard for an exhibition." He calmly ordered, but the guard hurried to obey like a fire had been lit under him.

"Come Inuyasha we need to alert the council. I want this settled today otherwise there will be no peace from any of them." Sesshomaru explained leading him into the castle.

Inuyasha continued to glance around himself as he followed Sesshomaru through the castle. He knew from Sesshomaru's acceptance of the mating he knew Inuyasha was going to win whatever test he would be given so he was not worried in the slightest. He was just curious as to who or what he would be fighting.

Sesshomaru suddenly turned to the let and entered a large room without preamble. Inside Inuyasha saw about seven large, and apparently aged, youkai sitting around a large table. They had various parchment scrolls and counting devices cluttering up the table and it appeared as if Sesshomaru had just interrupted a heated debate.

"Lord Sesshomaru, we did not receive word of your arrival. Was your mission successful?" The youkai closest to the door asked with civility.

"Yes my mission was successful, but we have a pressing matter to take care of, please accompany me to the eastern training yard." Sesshomaru responded and in turning to exit the room once more the council members caught sight of Inuyasha's bright red clothing and thus saw the Hanyou.

"What is that filthy half-breed doing here?" A large bear youkai asked with disgust, he soon had two swords pressed against his throat.

"Call me that again and even Sesshomaru will not be able to stop me from killing you." Inuyasha growled his grip on Tetsusaiga so tight his knuckles were white.

"Congratulations, you just volunteered to be Inuyasha's test. He has come to fight for his inheritance and I wondered which of you would be prejudice enough to speak out." Sesshomaru informed him his grip on Tokijin light but steady.

The bear demon was not stupid enough to press his luck by speaking when he had two swords pressed to his throat, he came with the brothers without further incident.

XXXX meanwhile at the human village XXXXXXXX

Kaede had been shocked when the entourage of humans and demons entered her hut. With one member prominently missing her heart leapt into her throat before Kagome caught the expression. "Inuyasha isn't dead he is with Sesshomaru heading West."

"Come in, ye must have a tale to tell. I see ye have brought wounded, I will tend to them while the tale is told." Kaede invited knowing a lot must have happened to this group since they had left the last time. The inclusion of the two ookami and the little girl that used to follow Sesshomaru everywhere was a bit of a shock.

While the healthy ones sat down with there backs to the wall of the hut and explained the events of the past few days Kaede's gentle hands went to work unwrapping wounds and heating up various teas and poultices to administer to the wounded members.

When it came time for Ayame to drink the tea she closed her mouth and weakly turned her head away refusing the drink, "This will not harm your child." Kaede's words caused Ayame's eyes to shoot open and her hands covered her stomach protectively.

"You poor thing, ye need to drink this it will help calm ye, and no harm will come to either of you." Kaede pressed gently sensing the pain the young wolf had gone through.

Finally, Ayame calmed enough to accept the warm tea and drank a little uncertainly. She had been lied to many times in the past the thought that this could be no different crossed her mind. The others didn't seem to be fighting her so she drank it anyway.

Ayame had latched onto Rin as soon as she was able, refusing to let the little girl go unless Kaede needed to heal something she couldn't reach with Rin in her lap. They were both traumatized from their capture and clung to each other just as they had in that filthy cell.

Sango noticed they were still shivering despite being next to the fire and wrapped up together. "We need to keep them warm, they are likely to go into shock now that we are here safe." She commented softly trying not to wake them from the light sleep they had fallen into.

"I don't think they would react well if they woke up to one of the guys next to them so come here." Kagome answered laying down on one side of them, and Sango realizing what she was doing went to lay on the other side. Both of the conscious women wrapped their arms around the two injured ones, Ayame and Rin were so small that Sango and Kagome's arms met around them, covering them in warmth and safety.

Kaede nodding approvingly at the actions of Sango and Kagome, with the girls taken care of she was able to turn her attention to Miroku and Kouga. Miroku had been hurt in the battle but it hadn't been very bad. All Kaede had to do was change the bandage when she knew the wound was healing just fine.

Kouga had not been hurt in the battle as he was with Sesshomaru and Shippo had saved them from being stung by Naraku's poison bugs. Kaede just wanted to make sure he was alright.

"This is your first pup?" She asked once she discovered the wolf's condition.

"Yes," He answered shortly, not liking the direction the conversation was going. He still was not as comfortable as he could have been about being a Uke.

"How long has it been now?" She asked pressing forward despite the wolf's discomfort.

"About a week and a half," He replied quietly knowing that from the date she could figure out he had gotten pregnant after joining the group.

"Kaede leave him alone for now," Miroku defended his mate from her questions.

Kaede did stop asking questions, but that was because Miroku had just inadvertently told her what she wanted to know. She had found the pup's father.


	12. Three Rounds

**Sweetest Sin**

**DaggersBloodPain**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Three Rounds **

The Eastern Training yard was set up like a modern day stadium, the actual field was ringed with places for visiting youkai to come and watch the practice sessions. It was a fairly effective intimidation tactic, but it made this yard the ideal place for Inuyasha to prove himself, there would be an audience to confirm the results and spread the right rumors.

Inuyasha and the Bear youkai faced off in the middle. No move had been made by either one as the rules had not been agreed upon yet. Sesshomaru's calm voice washed over them. The first set of instructions was mainly directed at Inuyasha.

"The fight will be fought in three rounds. The first round you may not use any weapon not gifted in your blood, it is a test of your youkai potential. The second round you will fight in your transformed state, this is a test of your control. The third round has no boundaries, any weapon and any form is allowed, this is a test of your skill. Inuyasha you must win all three rounds to claim your place, and if for some reason your opponent can no longer fight a replacement will be brought in for the remaining rounds." When Sesshomaru finished his speech Inuyasha knew his new mate had something planned for the final round. There was a suspicious gleam in Sesshomaru's eyes.

Turning back to focus on his opponent he carefully removed the Tetsusaiga from his hip and placed it in Sesshomaru's hands, knowing that would be the first time he had ever willingly handed over the coveted sword to his brother. Without the grip of the ancient sword on his youkai he carefully unleashed the demon from his mind allowing his markings to show and his eyes to bleed red. He stopped the transformation before he lost his humanoid body, but even this much of a transformation was a shock for the gathered nobles who even if they had a run in with the hanyou previously hadn't known he could do it.

"You will begin on my mark," Sesshomaru stated as he withdrew from the eminent battlefield. "Three, two, one begin!" He called once he was a safe distance.

The bear decided to rush at Inuyasha first, he figured one good slam would send the more delicate Youkai flying. He was not expecting Inuyasha to anticipate the move and dodge out of the way bringing his sharp claws down digging into his back. Blood spurted up out of the deep gauges bathing Inuyasha's clawed hand in blood, unleashing even more of his youkai.

Inuyasha did not give the bear a chance to recover from the blow before he was slamming into the bear from all directions, sometimes drawing blood other times just shaking the Bear's confidence. He was deliberately goading the Bear trying to make his angry, an angry opponent was more likely to make mistakes.

It did not take long for the Bear to recover a bit and start striking back, landing a blow to Inuyasha's ribs that started to bleed, unknowingly giving the hanyou yet another weapon. Quickly springing backwards Inuyasha carefully coated his claws in his own blood. Whipping his hand around quickly the blood flew off it and formed a liquid blade that cut in deeply just below the Bear demon's neck missing being fatal by mere centimeters. Blood poured out of the wound like a fountain for moments before the skin began to stitch back together faster than a normal youkai would heal, this was the Bear demon's blood gift.

Inuyasha immediately flew back into the fight once he realized what was happening he knew even if the would was healing the Bear had still lost a significant amount of blood which took longer to come back from than the actual injury in most cases. As long as he could keep landing blows that bled high volumes of blood quickly he could incapacitate the Bear.

Inuyasha was not unharmed in the fight, he was bleeding and bruised too, but the bear was far worse off. His underestimation of Inuyasha was costing him the fight. Dealing blow after blow Inuyasha was steadily wearing out the Bear's healing abilities, more blood was flowing, and the Bear was getting unsteady on his feet. With one quick swipe Inuyasha had the Bear on the ground, his clawed hand wrapped around the stocky throat.

"Do you yield?" Inuyasha asked formally.

"Yes," The Bear admitted grudgingly, he knew he would need help to limp his way out of the training yard and to the awaiting healers.

"Does anyone contest the victory?" Sesshomaru asked the watching crowd, when no objections were raised he declared, "Inuyasha has won the first round, who wishes to face him in the Second?"

A member of the palace guard came forward already transforming into a giant, sleek, black panther. Inuyasha saw him coming and became the enormous snowy white dog. Without waiting for Sesshomaru's signal, as it wasn't needed they clashed together in a ball of teeth and claws. Both youkai were slim and agile but Inuyasha was just a touch stronger and the cat a bit faster.

Growls and snarls were the only sounds in the training yard, the spectators all holding their breath at the display of power. The panther Youkai had obviously earned their position in the guard, Inuyasha would have to work hard to beat this experienced fighter.

He tried to bite and claw at the tender abdomen but the panther always managed to twist away making Inuyasha's teeth and claws graze his flanks. Blood flowed between the two, neither managing to land a debilitating blow. It was a very close fight. If Inuyasha won this one he would truly earn the respect of the watching Youkai.

When he realized going for the soft spots was not going to work he switched tactics. Grabbing at the panthers tail the youkai turned around with a snarl to be met with claws to the face. Blood running freely down the pitch black fur the panther was momentarily blinded by the blood in his eyes. Giving Inuyasha just enough time to get his jaws around the Youkai's throat, and squeeze.

He did not bite down hard enough to kill, just enough to prove he won. At the same moment they both reined in their inner youkai and reversed the transformation. It was a fair win once more.

"For the final round I claim my right to Challenge. I will fight in the last round." Sesshomaru commanded smoothly dismissing the panther from the fight

So this was what Sesshomaru had planned, if he beat his brother the revelation they were mates would go over a little easier. He would truly earn the alpha position if he won.

Sesshomaru gave back the Tetsusaiga, but Inuyasha managed to hold onto the partial transformation thanks to all their practice. As long as he kept his mind the sword did not interfere, one of the more interesting properties the sword acquired when Inuyasha's own fang was used to mend it.

At a silent nod the battle started with their swords clashing. They moved and dodged with the grace and speed of seasoned fighters, and the passion and fire of lovers. Their whole relationship was laid out before the spectator's eyes as they fought.

They were loving every minute of it and were prolonging the fight just to enjoy the play of muscles and the blood singing through their veins. They were born and bred fighters, the thrill of battle and of the hunt was part of their genetic make up, when fighting each other these traits were amplified and enjoyed. The longer battle also allowed for a larger exhibition of skill.

In truth the previous battles and wounds should have tired out Inuyasha, Sesshomaru should have rightfully won the fight. It would not have been easy to win it but with Inuyasha weakened it shouldn't have ended the way it did with Tetsusaiga pressed against him with his yield. The secret of the fight would be taken to their graves.

Sesshomaru had let Inuyasha win.


	13. Lord Inuyasha

Sweetest Sin

DaggersBloodPain

Chapter Thirteen

Lord Inuyasha

The palace was full of whispers. Rumors were spreading as far as they could as fast as the words could be said. Their land had a new Lord, one who ruled with his brother at his side.

A suite of rooms had been prepared for Inuyasha's use. Although both youkai knew they would not be used much at least not at night anyway. With uncharacteristic grace Inuyasha slid into his new role at the palace, surprising Sesshomaru with how quickly he adapted to the life of a Lord. The days passed and Inuyasha was beginning to worry for the rest of his pack.

The castle was just calming down from the introduction of a new Lord and alpha when they had yet another disturbance descend on them in the form of an odd party of Youkai and Ningens appearing at the gate to the palace. They requested the audience of the two Lords and the flustered guards could only watch on as a bright red blur swept past them and reached the odd party in the blink of an eye.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome nearly squealed as she was swept up into a tight hug, the first time Inuyasha had ever hugged her voluntarily.

"I was beginning to get worried," Inuyasha admitted, letting Kagome go only to check over every single member of their party.

When his gaze landed on the two rescued girls he could tell their capture had left a haunted air about them. "Come inside, we have ordered a meal prepared for your arrival. Rin I do believe you have your Lord very worried do you want to come with me to find him?" He asked the small girl very gently.

She hesitantly came forward, Ayame still glued to her side, and Rin let Inuyasha take her other hand and lead them into the main palace. He did not notice the shocked faces of the rest of the group, but the guards did.

"He has changed a lot," The nearest guard informed them, drawing their attention to him.

"Yes he has, but how did you know that?" Miroku was the first to recover and respond the guard's statement.

"I have been around the palace long enough to have heard the tales of his past. His temper alone is legendary among the youkai world. He has made a few mistakes and is keeping the old ones on the council on their toes, but altogether he is making the West proud to call him Lord." The guard admitted.

"Are you planning on standing there all day or coming with us?" Inuyasha shouted back to his friends, causing them to cut short their talk with guard and rush to catch up with them.

XXXXXXXXX

The informal dining room that was set aside just for the ruling family and their honored guests was full to bursting with people. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru shared the head of the table with Rin and Ayame to one side across from Miroku and Kouga, rounding out with Sango and Kagome. Shippo was slipping into place next to Rin and Kirara was sitting slightly behind her mistress.

The meal progressed with simple conversation, no one quite ready to talk about anything more taxing. By the end of it though the couples had somehow drawn closer together. Rin sliding into Sesshomaru's lap finally leaving Ayame's side for the first time since their incarceration. Shippo started to get bored and in turn started to tease Kirara trying to get the Neko to play with him.

"Shippo, I know a few Kitsune in the palace guard, we should see if they can get you trained." Inuyasha took advantage of the situation presented to reveal one of the plans Sesshomaru and him had already agreed upon.

"Would that mean I have to leave Kagome?" The fox kit asked worried staring up at his surrogate mother.

"No, in return for your defeat of Naraku, the Western Palace is now home and sanctuary for all of you. You need the training, and the others could use the rest from constant travel and battles." Sesshomaru answered Shippo before Inuyasha got the chance.

"Thank you for your hospitality Lord Sesshomaru, we are thankful for your kindness." Sango answered formally.

"It was Inuyasha's idea. The Kitsune needs trained, and with all the time spent tracking and battling Naraku he believes you deserve the break. This is the safest place in the west for you to rest and for the pups to come. Best you stay here until you are strong again." Sesshomaru explained easily.

"Speaking of pups have you told him yet?" Inuyasha asked Kouga pointedly. I mean the wolf could not hide it much longer. Demon pregnancies were shorter, and thus he would be showing soon, plus Inuyasha just couldn't wait to see the look on Miroku's face.

"I was just about to, but you ruined it as usual," Kouga said grouchily.

"What are you talking about?" Miroku asked suspiciously looking back and forth between Inuyasha and his mate. The girls just got a knowing look in their eyes and their mouths twitched up into smiles.

"Ayame is not the only one who needs the safety to bare pups." Kouga told him quietly.

"You mean?" Miroku asked hopefully.

"You are going to be a father." Kouga came right out and told him.

Miroku got the oddest grin on his face and than reality caught up with him and he fainted.

"I had hoped he wouldn't do that," Kouga remarked as he looked at the body of his swooning mate.

"You enjoyed it, or you wouldn't have waited to surprise him." Ayame said shocking them with the sound of her weak voice. She had not spoken a great deal since the incident.

"I suppose you are right, but still there was some hope for him." Kouga answered treating the occasion as if it was normal, Ayame needed the comfort of normalcy to heal.

"He will come around," Ayame assured, breaking the rest of them from their momentary shock.

"How are you feeling Ayame?" Inuyasha asked, leaving the question fairly open ended so she could answer as she wished.

"Better than I was, I will be ok, Lord Inuyasha." She assured a tired smile on her face. All she knew was the feeling of safety and security that came with being in the presence of a powerful Alpha was helping to ease her fears. With the relaxation that provided she was able to release some tension, and maybe even get a little excited about the life to come. This was her pup and its father would never touch it, and with that thought she put her hand to her distended stomach and smiled again.


	14. Pain and Hope

Sweetest Sin

DaggersBloodPain

Chapter Fourteen

Pain and Hope

The days passed as the odd band of friends fell into a routine of calm days and comfortable nights. Shippo began to meet with his new tutors and was already showing off his new tricks to all that would watch. Miroku and Kouga were usually found together either in the hot springs or disappearing into their rooms. Sango and Kagome were often seen walking in the many gardens with the ever increasing, and welcome, presence of Ayame. Rin was now stuck to Sesshomaru like glue, and if for some reason he couldn't be found she was plastered to Inuyasha's side and the hanyou didn't seem to mind, after all the girl had seen her caretaker Jaken killed before her eyes.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru continued to unify the western lands. Their announcement of the mating came as a shock to some and had several members of the council nearly have aneurisms. Inuyasha was having fun keeping the old windbags flabbergasted. It was the highlight of his day to send one of those overly pompous fools into seizure like fits. Sesshomaru just sat back and watched as his brother made the West come alive again, he had truly been a good choice.

One month after Inuyasha's friends had arrived at the castle, Ayame, Kagome, and Sango could be found beneath one of the cherry trees, enjoying the last few nice days fall had to offer. They had been sitting in a companionable silence when Sango noticed Ayame seemed uncomfortable.

"Are you alright Ayame? Is the baby kicking again?" She asked concerned.

"It feels funny," Ayame admitted quietly, and as she said it she brought Sango's hand to her stomach to feel what she meant by the comment.

Ayame's stomach was rock hard. The muscles under her hand were stretched tightly, and it was her whole abdomen. The baby was moving softly, the tightened muscles showing the movement happening under her skin.

"Ayame is your stomach hurting?" Sango asked as she gently rubbed the tense muscles in an attempt to relax the muscle.

"It doesn't hurt, but there is some pressure, I think the baby is lower too." She answered enjoying the confidant hands trying to soothe her tender skin.

"I think you might be going into labor soon." Sango diagnosed after Ayame's answers confirmed her suspicions.

"I think you might be right," She replied paling a bit and Kagome offered her hand to hold for comfort.

"Everything will be alright, we will keep you safe," She reassured the worried demoness.

Ayame's face contorted with worry at that, but stayed silent. She felt so full and sluggish, unable to finish her breakfast this morning and now just the thought of getting to her feet again was daunting. The tightened muscles of her abdomen pressing inward uncomfortably, but not painfully. Her hand stayed placed on her rounded waist monitoring her pup's movements, which had grown less frequent but still just as strong as the little one's room to grow shrunk.

It was still a bit early for labor, even for a demon. She knew it was because her body was not recovered from her imprisonment with Naraku. Her pup was coming now because much longer and she would be too weak to survive the birth. Youkai pregnancies were designed to last as long as was needed, if the health of one was in danger the pregnancy could be shorter or longer. Her body was being guided by instincts so deeply ingrained Ayame was not even aware she had them.

Eventually she got up, encroaching darkness forced her to her feet. Intending to try and sleep in her own cozy set of rooms, she left the garden aware of the twin sets of worried eyes following her. Sango and Kagome had grown quite attached to Ayame in the time since her rescue. The young female wolf was so much different then the carefree youkai they used to know. Ayame had been aged by her capture and all the girls wanted to do now was put the smile back on her face any way they could.

Sleep was slow in coming to her. She was too hot to sleep, removing cloths until nothing but the thin sheet hid her nudity from the world. She was so tired she was nearly in tears from exhaustion yet the odd feeling in her muscles fought against her tiredness, resulting in a light restless sleep for most of the night. It was only for what seemed like a few minutes that she slipped into a deeper coma like sleep.

She woke up in pain so intense the only sound she could force from her throat was a tiny mewl. She felt gagged by the pain, and if speaking was difficult moving was impossible. Curling around her abdomen was the furthest movement she could make against the radiating pain. The mewls of pain still coming in place of screams. Fear rose within her as she thought of her pup and that something had to be wrong there was no way a normal delivery should hurt this much.

As her fear spiked she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder and distant voices reached her ears.

"How long has she been like this?"

"Fetch a healer!"

"Ayame, honey can you talk to us?"

She heard that and honestly tried but couldn't do more then lift her head off the mattress, no words came out of her mouth as the pain held its grip on her vocal cords.

"The contractions are too close."

"She must have been in labor for awhile, she is too close, the pup is coming."

She felt a sudden release of pressure as a gush of fluid left her, and as the pressure dropped, ever so slowly the consuming pain backed down, and her eyes came into focus. A break, just a breather between peaks, but it was enough for her to see who was helping her.

"The contractions have slowed a bit, can you talk now?" Sango asked, and she was the one with the steady hands rubbing her stomach.

"Is my pup alright?" Ayame croaked out, before the pain started edging back up, this time the pressure different, coming from deeper within. The baby lay visibly lower in her belly.

"As far as we can tell the pup is fine, but is very eager to enter the world. We have sent for a healer, but they may not get here in time." Kagome warned, speaking quickly to try and get the message through before Ayame was overwhelmed.

"Kagome get behind her on the bed. This will be easier on both of them if she has support." Sango ordered easily as she realized the truth in Kagome's words.

"What is taking the healer so long?" Kagome mused as she moved to follow Sango's order. She slipped onto the bed behind Ayame, pulling the demoness against her chest, the laboring female's body fit into the warm embrace easily unconsciously grabbing Kagome's hands on either side of their bodies.

"I don't know, but I don't think this little one is going to wait to find out." Sango pointed out as the gravity from sitting up caused the pressure Ayame was feeling to increase, causing the sounds she was making to be more like grunts. The pup was definitely coming, but how could that be she had not been laboring for that long. Sango and Kagome had come into the room not ten full minutes after the first sound was heard. Sango had her suspicions the earlier tightness contributed to this quick painful delivery, preparing the muscles for the birth.

"Ayame, don't fight the pain, if you feel like you need to push do it. Your body knows what to do, and your pup wants to be born." Sango encouraged gently, as Kagome squeezed her hands reassuringly.

Kagome felt Ayame's body tense with the force of the push. Every bit of strength in her body went to birthing the pup. It did not take long for the pup to crown, forcing a loader groan of pain. Sango went to the foot of the bed ready to catch the pup as the next push had the pup out to its slightly pointed ears. The head was born with the third. Shoulders on the fourth, and in a rush the fifth and final push had the pup out and on Ayame's stomach with a quick maneuver by Sango.

A quick check confirmed the birth of a girl to be named Kaori.


	15. The Announcement

Sweetest Sin

DaggersBloodPain

Chapter Fifteen

The Announcement

The healer eventually did make it to Ayame's rooms, about an hour after the birth of Kaori. Her excuse was surprisingly vague, "I was attending to a matter of importance, I couldn't just leave. You will find out soon enough. I believed I had time to get here, first births are usually so long in coming."

The old youkai stayed long enough to pronounce both mother and child healthy before disappearing out of the rooms. She left the three women in the room feeling a bit slighted and confused, what could possibly be more important then the labor of the Lord's personal guest? It just didn't make sense at all.

The little girl was what drew their attention, no matter how angry they were with the healer. They couldn't stay mad for long looking into her tiny face.

Thankfully, Kaori had taken after Ayame in almost every way, from the pale skin and pointed ears to the tuft of fuzzy red hair covering her head. There was absolutely nothing to indicate who her father was and the three females breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite knowing Ayame could use some rest, Sango was the one who noticed the mess left over from the birthing. "Come on Ayame, you can stay in our room until the servants get this cleaned. I imagine you might like a quick bath before trying to back to bed?" She asked practically.

"A bath sounds wonderful, but I am so tired." Ayame admitted, with her words punctuated with a wide yawn.

"We will help you," Kagome assured the very tired new mother.

Leaning heavily on Sango and Kagome, Ayame was able to get up off the bed and into a robe, but her legs proved to be too weak to hold her. "Kagome, hold Kaori, I will get Ayame," Sango asked her lover quietly.

Kagome carefully took the baby, making sure she never left Ayame's line of vision, while Sango easily lifted Ayame into her arms. Even the additional weight of pregnancy couldn't cover the fact Ayame was not the picture of health due to her capture.

Sango and Kagome escorted mother and child to their rooms, Sango snapping at a servant to prepare a bath for Ayame, and quickly. By the time they arrived at the rooms the orders were already being carried out. It did not take long for the in room tub to be filled with warm water. Sango sat Ayame down in the tub and helped her wash off the drying blood and sweat the birth had produced. It was no wonder Ayame had a rough time walking, her blood loss was not dangerously so, but it was enough to make her weak on top of the tiredness from actually birthing Kaori. They once again wondered what could have been so important the healer had to rush off.

When Ayame was clean and once again swathed in a warm robe, Kagome had been busy cleaning Kaori. Handing the blanket wrapped little girl to her exhausted mother, they collapsed onto the bed, Kagome and Sango holding the new family protectively between them. All of them drifting off into a well deserved sleep.

It would take another week before they found out what caused the healer to be in such a rush.

They were sitting down to dinner all together again. The groupings much the same it had been the first night they ate together, with the addition of little Kaori resting in Ayame's arms.

They all noticed when Inuyasha reached out and laid his hand atop Sesshomaru's when the bowls in front of them had been mostly cleared. "Sesshomaru and I have a bit of an announcement." Inuyasha started, not quite nervously, "There will be a new heir to the West in another two months."

Shock was the most common emotion on their faces, until Kagome's twisted into one of slight hurt. "why did you take so long to tell us?" She asked.

"Well, things haven't been going so well, the Healers were not sure this pregnancy would last, it is harder for Uke's to carry. The night Kaori was born we thought we might lose our pup. The healers have now assured us the danger has mostly passed, so we decided to tell you now." Inuyasha explained painfully.

"I'm so sorry, but still why didn't you tell us? Even if you did lose the pup we would have been there to help you." Kagome apologized.

"We couldn't afford to have a servant overhear us telling anyone. Having an heir is very important, but losing one before it is born is not well received. It calls into question the fertility of the Lord and his mate. Sesshomaru might have been the Lord first, but if he lost the pup and the Council found out they could force me to lay with a different demon to get an heir and that is the last thing we wanted. The healers in this palace have long since taken a oath of silence involving the health and well being of our family. They couldn't tell anyone or they forfeit their lives." Inuyasha explained seriously.

During Inuyasha's speech, Kouga had self-consciously laid his hand on his expanding waistline. Just the thought of harm coming to his pup was unthinkable, but for Sesshomaru to be facing the loss of one, it was painful beyond belief. He felt a warm hand find and grasp his own under the tabletop, Miroku just looked at him, silently asking if he was all right, and he managed a small nod of ascent.

Ayame had just clutched Kaori closer, knowing if it had been one of the males in her place they would have miscarried. She was still weak from the experience and yet she held a healthy baby in her arms. She almost felt guilty, but she refused to wish her capture on another, knowing the consequences could have been far worse than weight loss and stress. She found herself hoping for a safe delivery for both her friends, it was the only thing she could really do to help them.


	16. The Next Wolf Prince and the West's Heir

Sweetest Sin

DaggersBloodPain

Chapter Sixteen

The Next Wolf Prince and the Western Heir

The Western Palace was not quite prepared for the challenge having two pregnant Uke's within the walls would cause. Kouga and Sesshomaru got bigger and grouchier as time passed. Ayame had managed to come through the worst phase of hers with relative calm, but after her captivity that was to be expected.

Their seme mates were driven to distraction by their constant need for contact. One minute they were happy, cheerful, and discussing the pups future, the next they were angry or in tears for no apparent reason. Inuyasha would have laughed at the emotions Sesshomaru was displaying if he wasn't quite so worried the older youkai would carry out his threats the moment their pup was born and it was safe to do so.

Miroku was having similar problems with Kouga, and yet Kouga was much worse than Sesshomaru was. For starters Kouga was still not completely content with his Uke status causing anybody who brought undue attention to the fact was cut down and quickly. In addition, Kouga had always been more hot-tempered than Sesshomaru, he flew off the handle that much easier, Sesshomaru at least tried to control himself. The others in the castle might have been a bit more compassionate towards Miroku if tales of his wandering hands hadn't spread like wild fire. If the man was so eager to have children he could deal with the side effects having them brought about.

Sesshomaru continued to have occasional scares with the pregnancy, and the healers continued to say all was well with the pup and things would turn out all right in the end. It caused no small amount of panic whenever it happened and the show of support was warming to the normally cold and distant Youkai.

Rin and Ayame were healing from their capture slowly, and Rin was showing great interest in the new baby, and the ones to come. Reminding the others in a few years, she too would be old enough to start thinking of creating a family with someone she loved. Right now, she was still in the baby-doll stage where she enjoyed watching Kaori and playing with her the small bit she was allowed to, she didn't really understand what it meant to be a mother yet.

The air was thick with waiting, until the halls of the Palace were rendered alive by the screams of pain emanating from one of the guest rooms. Kouga's time had come, and mixed with his cries, were the ones from Miroku who felt every bone in his hand get crushed with the force of his mate's pain.

He was not granted the quick painful delivery of Ayame, but a long drawn out battle. He labored for hours with the agonizing pain. His body was tough enough to handle it, he was stronger than Ayame's fragile body, but even the toughest demon would be worn out after two nights and a day of labor. His body not only had to labor the baby lower into his body, but the birth canal had to form as well, causing the excruciatingly long labor.

He lost a lot of blood, but finally at dawn on his second day of labor he was finally able to push his child into the world. His body so tired it took him half an hour of pushing to free the small cub from his body.

A son, Miroku and him had created a son. The boy was laid in Kouga's arms for the first time just as the dawn's first light fell onto the bed from the window. That inspired the boy's name, Akemi.

Little Akemi drew just as much attention as Kaori did. The little boy had jet black hair, and only faintly pointed ears, but the new parents soon found out that the boy already had a set of developed fangs. A born predator, there was no doubt he was a wolf youkai, despite being a Hanyou. Kouga breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their son was safe and healthy, and didn't suffer from the problems most Hanyous had.

Now they were just waiting for Sesshomaru to deliver.

XXXX

Inuyasha raised his head up from the bed he shared with his mate. Normally it took an act of atomic bomb proportions to wake him, but tonight it was one tiny little thing. Sesshomaru was not in bed with him anymore. He was used to his pregnant mate's frequent trips to empty his bladder but he had been gone for too long. Inuyasha's necessity forged instincts told him something wasn't right.

Following the freshest trail he couldn't help but get even more frightened as he realized he smelt Sesshomaru's blood. His steps became more urgent as he realized his brother's footsteps were not heading towards the healers, but instead outside, more towards the hot springs than anywhere else.

He found Sesshomaru in one of the shallower pools, quietly groaning in pain.

"What are you doing Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha scolded him, realizing what the pain meant. "We need to get you to a healer right now." He told him moving to help his brother out of the spring, but Sesshomaru wouldn't budge.

"Don't want a healer," Sesshomaru's normally sharp voice was clipped by pain. "Stay here, water feels good." He tried to communicate as another contraction took his breath away.

"You were going to try and give birth ALONE!" Inuyasha raged, but unable to stay mad at his mate he slipped into the hot spring next to his laboring mate. "Just how long have you been in labor?"

"A day and a half," Sesshomaru admitted once the contraction was over. "It didn't get bad until a few hours ago. This is something I wanted to do without the healers poking and prodding."

"Why didn't you tell me? This is something you tell alright," Inuyasha asked as he watched yet another contraction ripple through the skin of Sesshomaru's abdomen.

"I thought you wouldn't let me do it with just us, now it is too late to move, I can't walk anymore." Sesshomaru almost whined, and Inuyasha knew that was due to the pain coursing through his body.

In three more contractions, "The pup is coming," Sesshomaru called out eyes wide as the pressure in his lower abdomen became unbearable and he wanted to push down with the pain.

That is when Inuyasha looked down and saw their child's head already visible. Apparently, their pup was eager to enter the world. "Push Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha ordered, and Sesshomaru didn't need the command, as the next pain was demanding, he couldn't not push even if he wanted to.

The head was born in a single push, pulling a scream from Sesshomaru's lips for the first time in years. The next push had the slippery little body out and in Inuyasha's waiting hands. Only when the little Pup's head was out of the water did he take a breath. Settling the heir to the west on Sesshomaru's chest, he couldn't help but stare at the family he had been gifted. It was perfect, even if Sesshomaru's stubborn pride almost made him miss the birth of his son.

XXXX

It was a bit of a shock when the new family came back into the palace. The new heir held close to their Lord's body. Sesshomaru earned himself a very long lecture as the healers looked over every inch of both the child and him. Their son was small, due to the troubled pregnancy most likely, but healthy. Sesshomaru actually had the least damage from the birth out of the three.

The instincts that led him to the spring were the right ones to follow. It just proved that birth should be interfered with as little as possible. It was just the fact the pregnancy had not been easy that worried the healers. Who would have expected the one with the hardest pregnancy would have the easiest labor?

It took Sesshomaru and Inuyasha the longest to pick out a name for their son. He was almost a full twenty-four hours old by the time they settled on the right name, Toshiro.


	17. Epilogue

Sweetest Sin

DaggersBloodPain

A/N This is the end. 

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

The babies grew stronger, and when the three month mark hit for Akemi, Kouga and Miroku made plans to travel back to Kouga's pack wondering what their reactions would be to him bringing home not only a mate, but an heir to the pack as well.

Ayame, Kagome, and Sango were rarely seen apart. Nothing formal or obvious was stated about their relationship, but none of the women were willing to give up the security they found in each others lives. Little Kaori found herself with three mothers instead of one, she would grow to be one spoiled little girl.

Toshiro was the one who found himself in the most trouble. He had the temperament of Inuyasha with the looks of Sesshomaru, except for the silver puppy ears that peaked out of his snow-white mane. His demon markings were Sesshomaru's crescent moon, and Inuyasha's single stripe on each cheek. The little boy was heir to the west and therefore pampered by every living soul in the palace. When the pup grew up he would begin his training to take over ruling the West, but for now he was just a carefree little pup.

Unfortunately both Kaori and Toshiro would always be slightly smaller than they could have been, both of them beat the odds just to be born, but that didn't mean they were weak. What they lacked in height and build they made up for in agility and speed. As they learned to walk and talk at the accelerated pace of youkai children it became obvious they were the underdogs people had a tendency to overlook with unseen consequences.

All of the new parents couldn't be any prouder of their children, and in a surprise move Rin was officially adopted by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, while Shippo was adopted by Sango and Kagome. Now no matter what argument was made neither child could be taken away against their will.

As the pups grew the families often traveled to meet each other, either at the Palace or with Kouga's pack, with their frequent visits it became obvious that Kaori was growing attached to Akemi. Both sets of parents were secretly hoping they would chose each other in the future.

Years down the road Sesshomaru and Inuyasha began to notice something odd Rin wasn't aging like a human, more like a youkai child. They began to have their suspicions of the reason when noticing exactly how much time she was spending with Shippo. The two were still children and therefore nothing physical had happened, but somehow the two were bonded as mates, and just like Izayoi and their father, Rin's life was now tied to Shippo.

Sesshomaru was privately overjoyed at this, the child he had fought so hard to learn to love, would not be taken away from him due to her human heritage. For as long as that Kitsune lived she would be in his life. Inuyasha knew how his mate felt, because he felt that way too even in the few short years he had truly known her.

Life it turned out was good for the small group of friends. Inuyasha never thought that he would ever thank Naraku for anything when this whole mess started years ago, but he was truly grateful now. If it weren't for that despicable half demon he would not have the family and the life he did now and he so loved it. For now the time was spent enjoying their families and friends. There was still time left before they had to start worrying about their mortal friends passing. So as things stood, they truly were the lucky ones, and as Inuyasha lay in the bed body entwined with his willing mate he figured it out, love really was the Sweetest Sin.


End file.
